Killing Me Softly
by Kanna37
Summary: Kagome is trapped permanently in the Sengoku Jidai since the well has closed. Inuyasha's quite pleased with that, but someone else is most decidedly not, and her words cause Kagome to run.  Now Inuyasha has to search the lands for his lost love... 2nd Best Drama December 2011 FA.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Inuyasha.

~sSs~

"Kagome..."

Inuyasha came to a halt behind the girl whose name he'd just spoken, his eyes pinned to her sadly as she stared out over the village, seemingly so far-removed from everything around her.

"Hm?" she responded distractedly, not looking at him, her gaze fixed instead on the sunset.

"I'm... sorry, for what's happened," he sighed, knowing that his words were only half true. Yes, he was sorry the well closing had hurt her so much, but he wasn't sorry she was locked here in his era, with him. Now she would never leave him...

But he wasn't stupid enough to ever say such a thing, and his remorse for her pain at her loss was real enough, so she wouldn't ever know the difference.

"I just wish I knew why it had closed," she said after a moment, the sadness thick in her voice. "Why now? Why did it close at all? I mean... that's the time I'm from – I would have thought that if it was going to close, it would have closed with me on the other side of it, you know?"

"But you promised, Kagome," he said, stepping forward to stand beside her, "and maybe that's why it did that. Or maybe, it's just more proof that you belong here. That being here was your destiny."

Eyes still resolutely on the sky, Kagome's shoulders slumped. "But you don't really need me here after the Shikon no Tama is found and Naraku defeated, Inuyasha. After all, you're going to hell with Kikyou, ne? Isn't that what you said? Where's that going to leave me once you're gone? I won't have anyone to protect me from the dangers here anymore," she finished slowly, that fact suddenly hitting her hard.

Inuyasha blinked, startled. He hadn't ever thought of that before, but it didn't matter anyway. He'd no intentions of going to hell with Kikyou and leaving Kagome alone and vulnerable – he hadn't planned such a thing in a long time, truthfully.

"Kagome..." he started, "I... I'm not going to be going to hell with Kikyou when this is all over. I couldn't leave you here alone to fend for yourself." He shrugged. "Kikyou will just have to go back by herself – or drag Naraku with her, which I think she plans to do, anyway. She wants him to suffer for what he did."

At that, Kagome turned her face to look up at him, almost desperately searching his eyes for the truth of his statement, needing that confirmation of his words.

She found it, and a few tears leaked from her eyes at that as she wrapped her arms around herself, afraid to do what she really wanted to do, which was throw herself at him.

"Inuyasha..." she breathed, gratitude, and oddly enough, to the young male listening, misery, in her voice. "I'm so glad you're going to live – but are you sure you won't regret not going with... her?" she asked, subdued again. "I never wanted you to choose to stay with me just because I'm helpless here, and can't take care of myself in this time and place."

Inuyasha shook his head at her, then reached out and pulled her into his arms, pressing her head to his chest. "Baka! That's not it at all! I mean, I wouldn't go and leave you here alone – but 's not why I'm staying. I had chosen to stay a long time ago – before the well closed. I'm staying because I want to, okay?"

Kagome slumped a little, allowing days of tension and worry to dissolve in his arms as she just enjoyed the peaceful moment between them. Her eyes drooped as he stroked his fingers through her hair... it was so relaxing. After a few minutes, she sighed, then pulled away.

"But does Kikyou know about this, Inuyasha? Or haven't you told her yet? I really don't think you can make up your mind so firmly when you haven't talked to her, you know. You might change your mind again." Meeting his gaze sadly, she smiled, trying to make everything seem okay. "I won't hold you to it, you know, if you do change your mind. After all, Kikyou came first, and I know that."

With a frustrated sound, Inuyasha shook his head at her, then turned and presented her his back. "C'mon, wench, get on. We need to talk, and I don't want the nosy monk or Shippo butting in or snooping. It ain't none of their business."

A little surprised, Kagome eyed his back for a moment, then decided to humor him and climbed on, clasping her arms around his shoulders and burying her face in his silver mane as he leaped forward and took off into the trees, reaching full speed almost immediately.

She became quite curious as they traveled for only a few seconds, and she looked around as they came to a halt and the hanyou let her down slowly. He almost seemed to caress her skin as she slid off his back, and she blushed, surprised, but certain she was imagining things in her desperation to feel his touch.

They were in an area with a sheer rock wall pierced by several small openings, though only one was big enough for them to actually go inside, and Kagome shot him a look – she knew this particular cave. They'd sheltered from a sudden storm there one day.

"Why'd you bring us here, Inuyasha? It'll be too dark in there before long, and we don't even have any blankets or anything."

Nervously, Inuyasha reached out for her hand and grasped it, tugging her along behind him as he led her inside. "Keh. I'm not stupid, K'gome. I've got a fire laid in here, all I've got to do is start it, and there's some sleeping furs and things... I've spent a few nights here when you've been in your time. It's not as empty as you remember it," he finished as they came around the small bend and into the cave proper.

He had the fire going in short order, and Kagome looked around wide-eyed. It was apparent he had, indeed, stayed here before. But what she couldn't figure out was...

"Why?" she asked, and he shot a confused look at her as the fire flared a little. "I mean, why have you stayed here instead of in the village?" _Was he staying here so he could spend time with Kikyou?_

He shrugged. "Mostly to get away from that hentai and all his stupid comments," he said off-handedly. "It gets annoying after a while, you know? Plus, I hate being in the village when you aren't there..."

"Oh," she said, eyeing him uncertainly, and then decided to let it go. If he had come out here to stay with Kikyou, there wasn't anything she could do about it, anyway. She didn't dare let herself consider the last part of his sentence...

Silence fell as the two just warmed themselves before the fire for a time, but then...

"So... why'd you want to bring me out here, Inuyasha? What did you want to talk about?"

Her words ushered in an odd tension, and she frowned, suddenly concerned. "Inuyasha? Is... something wrong?"

He shot her a glance, then shook his head slowly, though he seemed uncertain. "Not _wrong_..." he scooted closer to her and put an arm around her shoulder, pulling her into himself, and he heaved an invisible sigh of relief when she contentedly leaned into him, resting her head against his shoulder. "I just wanted to spend a little time with you, you know, without the others. We don't really get a chance to, anymore. I... I'm glad we've got Sango and Miroku and even Shippo, not to mention Kirara, but... there's times I miss when it was just us."

Kagome blinked, surprised to hear Inuyasha say such a thing – for a moment. _He must be trying to be a little more open because he feels bad about the well, _she thought with an inward smile. _He tries to hide it, but he has a good heart..._

His words were true, though, and as much as she loved their friends, sometimes she also missed the times when it had just been them.

"Me, too," she agreed with a small sigh. "It was kinda nice just being together, you and I, by ourselves."

He squeezed her shoulder and tucked her closer into his side; she blushed a little as she wondered again why he was being so openly affectionate. It wasn't like him...

What she didn't know was that the hanyou had been doing a lot of thinking since the well had closed. With no way for her to go home, she would have to make a life here. That meant one of two things, really, since she was now considered an orphan with no family – she could become the village miko and take over for Kaede when the older woman passed, or she could marry, and settle down once the task of destroying Naraku and the jewel was complete.

He was pretty sure Kagome didn't want to take over as a shrine maiden, living alone for the rest of her life – and he certainly wasn't about to let her marry some village idiot and spend her days raising a family with said idiot.

No... if she was going to marry anyone, it was going to be him.

After all, hadn't she sworn to stay by his side? And since the well had chosen to keep her here, in his era, the only other thing that could pull her away from him would be another man. He suppressed a growl at that thought, and hugged her tighter.

His mind had been made up... but how to bring such a thing up to her without getting slammed into the ground?

He was well aware that in her era, unlike his own, Kagome, at barely sixteen, was just now old enough to be married. The laws in her time, as explained by her mother, stated that she was now old enough to marry, but yet by the social mores of her era, it was considered shameful to marry so young.

_Keh. Her time is so strange. You can start... being with guys like a wife would when you're thirteen, but if you get married before you're at least in your twenties, you've shamed your family. But it's not shameful to sleep with many males, only to marry one of them... it's a good thing we're not in her time anymore, _he thought darkly. _And that she hasn't been 'enjoying' any guys company. I'd have had to kill them._

Hesitating, yet determined to find out her thoughts on this particular matter, he spoke up, his fingers nervously tapping against her arm. "I... I wanted to ask you what you want to do now, K'gome. You know, now that the well has closed," he added as he felt her stiffen a little.

"Oh," she said softly, "I... hadn't really thought about it. After all, none of us can really make plans until Naraku's dead and the jewel's gone, ne? Things can pretty much stay the same until then."

"Keh. Maybe... but you still need to think about it. I mean, you will have to have a way to survive here, now. The village elders will start questioning things once it all kicks in – you know, once our mission is over, and you're still here, they'll start to wonder what place you're going to have in the village."

She nodded reluctantly against his shoulder. "Hai... I know. They'll probably want me to start training with Kaede-baachan... but I don't want to be Kikyou," she sighed sadly, stiffening even more when she realized what she'd said. "I-I mean, I just don't want to be a s-shrine maiden," she spit out, obviously not wanting to upset him.

"It's okay, Kagome, I understand what you mean," he said after a moment, pulling away a little to reach up with a finger and turn her face to his. "You don't have to do what you don't want to do, you know. I'll always take care of you, no matter what." Inside, he was glad as hell he'd been right, and she didn't want to be the village miko.

Her eyes met his, and immediately, a pulse of desire went through her – he was so beautiful to her, with his shining golden eyes staring into her own so intently. Without realizing it, her eyes drifted down to his lips, so close to her own, and she blushed, her gaze going heavy-lidded and her scent spiking, though she wasn't aware of that last part.

Inuyasha certainly was, though, and he wasn't about to fight it, or what that scent was doing to him. After all, this was Kagome – the woman he was choosing to stay with, forsaking his past for his future.

Of course, despite his guilt towards Kikyou, it wasn't as though he was turning his back on her – he hadn't, after all, actually promised her he would go to hell with her. She'd tried to get him to promise such, but he'd been under a spell at the time, and didn't consider any words he'd spoken then as ones he needed to honor.

No... he'd sworn vengeance on her behalf against Naraku, and he would deliver on that promise, no question. But that had nothing to do with his desire to stay with Kagome, and that was something that he would do, no matter what. After all, Kagome was a part of his quest to destroy the spider hanyou, and her presence wasn't interfering in any vow he'd made to Kikyou, so in his mind, there was no conflict.

He wasn't stupid enough not to know that the undead miko would see it differently, but that was her problem. She was already dead, and would be returning to her rest once Naraku was gone – but Kagome was _not_ dead, and he had no intentions of leaving her alone and vulnerable only to sit around in hell twiddling his thumbs.

Taking the cue from her scent and actions, he lowered his mouth to hers, just barely touching her lips to make sure this was really what she wanted – and from her response, it really was.

With a moan, she parted her lips in invitation, hoping and praying he would take her offer, and her pulse leapt in excitement as he did, indeed, take her up on it, slanting his lips over hers and deepening the kiss as his tongue invaded her mouth quite happily.

_I wonder how far she's willing to let me go,_ the hazy thought crossed his mind as his tongue twined with hers and he moaned at her taste. _Kami, she tastes so good... but I knew she would. _His hand slipped around to thread through her raven locks and hold her to him as he turned his head again to take the kiss even deeper, running his tongue over every available place in her mouth, and then lick across her palette, which made _her_ moan.

He let her go when she pulled back to catch her breath, her heavy panting exciting him further as he nibbled and licked his way down her throat, settling in to suck at her pulse point as her head dropped back, the submissive aspects of the position not lost on him. His youkai blood roared to the surface at that, and his eyes flashed red for a split second.

Lifting her up, he rose gracefully and strode over to the furs, kicking them around into a nice pile that he placed her gently on, his lips and tongue wreaking continuous havoc on her senses and keeping her in a sensuous haze that was in danger of shutting down all senses not currently engaged by the hanyou in her arms.

Following her down, he pressed himself to her, letting her feel him and his aroused state as he nudged aside her shirt to nibble gently on her sensitive collarbone. "Is this okay?" he murmured questioningly as his hands gently caressed her sides, his claws adding something to the caress that had her shivering in ecstatic reaction.

"Y-yes," she stuttered, obviously having a hard time speaking as she swallowed heavily. "I-Inuyasha... mmm... w-why are you doing this?" she managed to get out around gasps and moans of pleasure.

At that question, he moved away from her fragrant skin and met her gaze with his own heavy one. "Because I want to, Kagome. Are you going to tell me to stop?" he asked, suddenly apprehensive. Would she _truly_ accept him, as a lover...? It was one thing to accept him as a friend – and another to accept him as an equal – as a mate.

His secret fear that she _wouldn't_ accept him in this manner was gone with her next words.

"No," she gasped as his hand swept across one breast, instantly exciting the tip into hardening. "I've always been willing to give you anything you wanted from me, Inuyasha. You just never showed any interest."

"Keh. _Wrong_. Why'd you think I always chased other males away? Just friends don't get jealous, K'gome," he muttered as he hesitantly brought both hands up to rest on the hem of her shirt. "Can I?" he asked, tugging on the garment to let her know what he wanted.

"Mhmm," she breathed, unable to think of any reason why she shouldn't do this. After all, her life was now in this world, and the idea of disappointing her family was a moot one, since she'd never be able to go back to her time, anyway. For all intents and purposes, she was now an adult and could do what she wanted.

And what she wanted to do, was Inuyasha. _No pun intended_, she giggled to herself almost drunkenly as he began to pull her shirt over her head. _Nope, not at all._ Wiggling a bit to assist him in removing the garment, she reached behind herself to snap her bra open, knowing that would be next, and blushed deeply as his eyes plastered to her chest the moment the shirt came away. She left the bra in place for the moment, knowing he could slide it off easily when he was ready to.

Eyes alight with wonder, he ran a clawed finger along the lace edge. "What's this called?" he asked softly.

"It's a bra," she replied, a blush staining her cheeks. "It kinda keeps things from jiggling and bouncing around."

"Oh, like the breast bindings my mother used to wear," he nodded. "Only these are prettier," he mused, running his finger over the lace as her nipple budded tightly against the fabric in response.

'Y-yeah," she managed to get out around the sensations running through her body and short-circuiting her mind. "Like that."

Unable to resist, Inuyasha lowered his head and nipped at that tempting little peak, and she responded with such a delicious gasp and arch into the caress that he immediately tugged the bit of fabric away from her, his eyes glazing as her naked breasts came into view.

Sure, he'd seen them before, most notably in Togenkyo when he'd interrupted her sake bath and she'd stood up to greet him completely nude, but now? Now was completely different – because they were bare and welcoming his touch, for the first – but most definitely not the last, if he had anything to say about it – time.

His eyes smoldered hotly as they took her in, and then he lowered his head and took a coral nipple between his teeth, startling a squeak from her. He decided that it was a cute sound, and he'd like to hear it again as his hand came up and massaged the other breast as he began suckling the furled nipple in his mouth.

… _so good... _His eyes flicked up as she whined at him, his surprise at the sound causing him to let go of the nipple in his mouth to ask, "Are you okay?" with apprehension. This was all new to him, after all, and he wasn't sure that sound was a good one – pups whined when hurt or ill, or when being disciplined – so that sound usually meant something bad.

It seemed, however, that this was a begging whine, she was begging him for more, and once he caught the desperate look in her eyes, he grinned and moved on, kissing and nipping all along her abdomen and sides as she writhed and moaned and begged. It was all music to his ears, the sounds she made, but after a time, her scent became more than he could withstand, and he knew that the moment of truth was at hand – would she allow him to take this final step?

Softly, hesitantly, he put his question into one word. "Kagome?" he asked, tucking his fingers into the waistband of her pants and tugging, just like he had with her shirt.

The little priestess blinked, dazed as she tried to gather enough sense to answer him, and finally, understanding what he was asking, she blushed deeply, but nodded, a shy smile lighting her face. "I told you I'd give you anything you needed from me, Inuyasha. If you're sure you want me, then I won't say no to you."

Something warm surged inside Inuyasha at her words; no one had ever accepted him in the way she was doing... it was clear in that moment that she had been perfectly honest in her words when she'd said she liked him the way he was, and that she didn't want him to change.

She'd meant it.

Warmly, though with a touch of shyness of his own at what was about to happen, he slid her pants and undergarments down together, leaving her completely bare before him – bare, and desirous of him, and with a shiver, he sat up and began to disrobe.

He could feel his eager length quiver at the thought of what he'd be doing soon – something he'd never thought he'd ever be allowed, and he flushed as he bared himself to his soon-to-be lover, suddenly uncertain. Would his body disgust her?

Sure, he knew he was pretty comparable to other guys, though larger, but... he was still a hanyou, and there had to be _something_ disgusting about him for everyone to insist that hanyou were disgusting. He'd never been able to figure out what was so gross about himself, except maybe his ears...

But Kagome wasn't looking disgusted, not to mention the fact that she loved his ears. No... in fact, she looked like she was seeing something beautiful, and he hesitated, not sure what was causing that expression.

"Umm..." he started, and sparkling blue eyes in a blushing face met his gaze. "Is something... wrong?" he asked slowly, fighting the urge to hide his body.

Wide-eyed at the sight of such a gorgeous guy presenting himself naked before her, Kagome took a moment to understand his question, and she frowned at him, not sure what he was afraid of. "No... why would there be?" She reached out and tugged him to her, and he went willingly, allowing her to pull him down atop her as she laid back.

"You, well you j-just," he started to stutter, and for once, she seemed to know just what he was trying to say.

"Inuyasha," she replied, smiling at him shyly, "I was just curious. I've... never seen, well, you know," she made a vague gesture, and he breathed easier as he took in what she was trying to say.

"I've never, either," he answered back. "The only girl I've ever seen besides my mother is you."

"Really?"

"Keh! Who else would want a hanyou?"

"But... I thought..."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes as he inwardly reveled in the feel of her body pressed so intimately against his own, knowing she was, for the moment, oblivious to their current circumstances. "Come on, wench! She wanted me to turn human. The only thing Kikyou ever did with me was to give me a kiss. She wouldn't even sit that close to me, let alone anything else."

Kagome opened her mouth to answer him when she finally realized exactly what position they were in, pressed naked together from knees to chest, and her jaw sagged as her eyes widened.

"O-oh!" she choked out, suddenly feeling every square centimeter of skin that was being scorched by the touch of his own against her. And then Inuyasha was kissing her again, and it was slow, and hot, and indolent, leaving her with no coherency at all – and best of all... she didn't care.

New at this and completely untried, it wasn't long before both of them were impatient, wanting a completion neither had ever experienced, and slowly, awkwardly, Inuyasha pressed himself to her entrance, his eyes begging for her final permission. No hesitation in her gaze, she gave it, and just like that, he was pressing into her, pressing _himself_ into her, joining their bodies and souls together as he sank into a place he'd never truly ever thought he'd be allowed.

He'd had dreams of this, dreams of touching this woman, tasting her, of being so deeply inside her that no one would ever be able to truly separate them again since shortly after he'd been awakened by her – but he'd never thought it would actually happen. This was a rapture he'd not thought possible, not for him, and yet, now, it _was_ possible for him, and he couldn't be more grateful to the kami that had blessed him with this beautiful young woman writhing beneath him and begging him for something she had no experience with, yet wanted with all of her soul.

Completion... completion that only he could give her.

Pressing forward carefully, not wanting to hurt her though he knew this first time would, he hissed and his eyes fell closed in agony – it felt better than anything he'd ever known, and going slowly was _killing_ him. He wanted to thrust himself inside her over and over, take her, fuck her, make her his, but he couldn't – he refused to hurt her any more than the act already would. And so he moved slowly, sinking himself into her an inch at a time, the pleasure so great he actually put his fang through his lip trying to keep his sanity.

Kagome's breath hitched at the burning sensation as he sank inside her, but truthfully, it didn't hurt nearly as much as she'd expected – it was more of a burning pinch, and within moments, despite how slowly it seemed he was moving, he'd bottomed out within her. Muscles clenching tightly around the welcomed intrusion, she inhaled sharply as it hit her suddenly – he was _inside_ her.

This was something she could never give another, her virginity, and she couldn't help the tears of happiness that welled up within her at that moment – she'd wanted him for years, and to finally be sharing herself with him in this most intimate of manners was a dream come true. With that thought, she reached down and grasped his perfect cheeks, pressing him more fully into her as she opened her thighs further to encourage him to take every inch of her he could.

Inuyasha gasped as she opened her legs wider and grabbed his rear, allowing him to sink more deeply inside her heated sheath, and shuddered, his ears pressing tightly to his head as he inhaled. Desperate to keep control, he gritted his teeth, not even noticing the blood that spattered onto her chest from his perforated lip.

Kagome did notice, however, and with a sympathetic look, she reached up with one finger and wiped the blood away. "Inuyasha," she whispered, "you can move now, you know. It doesn't really hurt, it just stings a little."

"Are you s-sure?" he managed to get out around his clenched teeth, and when she nodded, he pulled back, his eyes falling closed as his whole body clenched at the feel as he pushed back inside her. "Ohhh... oh, gods," he gritted, his head dropping to press against her shoulder as he pulled away again, only to return with a little more force.

In just about the same state he was, Kagome's eyes closed as she concentrated on the sensations of Inuyasha's body moving against hers. While there was still some sting, it wasn't much, and beneath that, and growing stronger, was a definite sense of almost overwhelming pleasure. It felt good, and was beginning to feel wonderful, the feel of his penis abrading her inner flesh. She'd had no idea just how good this would be...

Honestly, though, she wasn't surprised when he growled above her and suddenly pounded into her, raggedly howling her name as his hips locked against hers and he shuddered within her. She could feel his heated semen filling her, and she'd never felt more complete than she did in that moment, even though he'd finished and she'd not reached completion. It didn't matter.

He slumped against her, panting and almost sobbing as he nuzzled her shoulder, murmuring her name and painting her skin with tiny desperate kisses. "K'gome... Kagome."

"Shhh, Inuyasha," she whispered, "it's okay." Caressing his back gently, she concentrated on soothing him, and within a few minutes, he'd calmed, and pulled away a little to look at her.

She looked so beautiful in that moment to him, the little bit of firelight dusting her fair features with a faint glow, and he couldn't resist, he leaned down to kiss her again, and then pulsed his hips against hers. He shivered at the feel of her tightness around him, still gripping him so sweetly. He was well aware that she hadn't received her pleasure, since he'd finished so quickly, but that was one perk of being hanyou – he wasn't _really_ finished, as she'd just now realized, seeing as how he was still hard within her.

He grinned down at the stunned girl – she was in for a _long_ night. Once was definitely not enough, and even if they fell asleep for a few hours, he'd definitely wake up wanting her again.

Retracting his hips, he soon had established a very pleasurable rhythm, and a pleasure-drunk Kagome was writhing and moaning beneath him, eyes glazed and face flushed a pretty pink. "I-Inuyasha," she gasped out, "what... how...?"

"I'm a hanyou, Kagome," he growled, enjoying the way she looked beneath him. He'd never seen anything more erotic – not even the time he'd caught Kikyou bathing. Kikyou was one thing – yes, she was an attractive woman, but Kagome... Kagome was _Kagome_, and in his eyes nothing else needed said. Just her name said it all. "I'm not some weak human that can't go more than once."

_Mine,_ he thought, pleasure completely separate from mating roaring through him at that, _my Kagome... my wife. Always mine. I will never let you go, Kagome. I will protect you forever._

The build up took longer this time, and because of that, Kagome was right there with him, clutching to his shoulders and begging for something she had never experienced before but that was now rushing up on her and overwhelming her senses. Watching her face carefully even through his own ecstasy, Inuyasha couldn't help the savage thrill that made his eyes flash crimson that it was _he_, the half breed disgrace, that was giving this woman such pleasure as he pushed himself inside her so deeply that he was almost inside her womb.

That was all it took, the pleasure-pain of that deepest of penetrations sending Kagome wailing over the edge, her body arched into his as she welcomed his seed once more, every muscle in both their frames taut with their efforts for several long seconds...

And then they both slumped, suddenly exhausted as their second bout with Eros stole away all their energy.

Holding himself up above her by his shaking arms, Inuyasha finally managed to slip from inside her with a barely audible growl, and then slumped to the side, pulling her in close as his eyes slid closed and his breathing began to even out.

Just as sleep claimed him, he realized that he needed to see Kikyou one last time, to tell her who he'd chosen, what he'd chosen. It was only right, after all.

"Need... Kikyou..." he muttered sleepily as he fell into welcoming unconsciousness, not even realizing he'd said it aloud... and _certainly_ not noticing the shocked stiffening of the woman he'd just claimed physically... and in his thoughts.

It would have been much better for the both of them if he'd actually bothered to claim her aloud, and explain his feelings to her, but he hadn't...

~oOo~

Shivering with cold and anguished shock, Kagome waited until she was sure he was completely asleep, then wriggled her way out of his arms and quickly found her clothes by the fading firelight.

Dressing rapidly, needing to get away before she broke, Kagome didn't even pay all that much attention to how she dressed, just wanting to be covered. The moment she was clothed, she slipped her shoes on and then, with one last pained look at the peacefully sleeping hanyou, she turned and slipped out of the cave, wanting to get as far away as she could. She needed to think.

_I can't believe I let him do that... and he was thinking of Kikyou, _she sobbed inwardly, not paying any attention to her surroundings in her state of mind. _I should have known..._

She knew that he cared about her. That wasn't in question. And she knew he'd meant his vow to stay and protect her... the problem was, it seemed as though he was staying simply because she was too helpless to take care of herself, and not because he wanted to. _He cares about me, but he still loves... her._

She could never accept that. _I want him to be happy, and I want him to live, but of he's only going to live so he can protect me, and not because he wants to, then I can't let him do it._ The thought of losing him - _no, I'm not losing him, since I never really had him - _had her sobbing her heart out as she began to jog, not noticing the branches that tore at her skin, nor the thin lines of blood they drew.

Finally coming to the banks of a small stream after a few minutes of running, she fell to her knees, staring into the darkened water with pained and horrified eyes. All she could think was...

"If he loves Kikyou, and he wants to be with her, why did he do that with me?" she whimpered, so confused she couldn't think straight.

"Because I'm dead, and he can't do that with _me_," came a thin voice, and shocked, Kagome whirled around to stare with dismay at the figure moving out of the dusken gloom under the trees to stand accusingly behind her.

"K-Kikyou!" she gasped, hand going to her heart as she took in the woman's words. "What do you m-mean?"

Jealous, hurt that the hanyou she'd loved had chosen another, she stared bitterly at the woman before her who'd gotten to experience the one thing she'd been denied in her life – love, both physical and emotional.

"Just what I said. He knows that he cannot be with me in that manner because I am dead... and you _are_ my reincarnation. It is the closest he can come to loving me, now. That is the only reason, I assure you," she snapped.

Horrified, Kagome sank back on her heels, not even seeing Kikyou any longer as she stared at the ground beneath her. "He... he wouldn't do something like that," she faltered, "he's got more honor than that!"

The undead miko made a gesture of impatience, her unbeating heart still writhing in agony as the memory of what she'd seen between the two in that cave continued to play out behind her unwilling eyelids. "Not consciously, he would not, you stupid girl. But the truth is, his heart will always belong to me. He will never see you as anything more than the carrier of _my_ soul – we are soul mates, he and I, and you know it. You would be better off leaving now, before you get hurt any further. Copy or not, I don't want to see you suffer – and you will if you stay," she bit out.

"B-but... I can't go home anymore," the broken-hearted girl cried out. "What can I do?"

"Find another place for yourself, then. It is not as if this village is the only one in the land," Kikyou huffed. "But if you value yourself at all, you will leave." With that said, the undead miko turned and disappeared under the darkness of the trees, her shinidamachu lighting the way. Kagome watched numbly until the glow of the miko's companion youkai disappeared as well, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

_She's... she's right, _she thought disjointedly, tears pouring down her cheeks as she wept silently. _I can't stay here and be his burden. Kikyou can help him find the rest of the jewel and Naraku... and I... I will find somewhere else to go. But I'll have to move fast, before he wakes up and comes looking for me._

Heaving herself up from the forest floor, Kagome let her senses lock onto the distant signature of Kaede, and began to run, headed for the miko's hut, and the only things she still owned in this world... the few things that were in her trusty yellow bag the last time she'd come through the well.

She could only be glad that she'd packed quite a few clothes, and her cooking knife, and that she had her sleeping bag and her little pillow – she'd have need of those things more than she'd ever have thought she would.

Reaching the village much quicker than she'd expected, she knew she'd have to move fast, because odds were Inuyasha wouldn't sleep for long – and she knew she couldn't bear to face him again. She didn't know if she'd ever be able to at this point, the pain inside was so great.

But even through it all, she didn't blame him... because she knew that she was right – he wouldn't have taken her like that if he'd realized it was because she was all he had left of Kikyou. He had too much honor to use her that way. It was all subconscious, and she couldn't blame him for where his heart lay.

It was just the way it was.

That didn't mean, though, that she could stick around and allow him to use her in that way, conscious or not, and that's why she had to get out now, while she still could.

With that thought in mind, she entered Kaede's hut quietly but with purpose, and trying not to wake those asleep in the hut, namely Shippo and Kirara, she gathered her things and began packing it all into her bag. Looking over towards Kaede's storage area, she took note of some dried travel rations, probably that she'd made up for them for when they left on another shard hunt, and she packed it all as well with a silent apology to the missing miko.

_I wonder where they all ar- _her thoughts cut off with panic as the sound of the matting being pulled back hit her ears and she spun around, wide-eyed, only to slump gratefully when Sango was revealed.

_Gods, that scared me..._

"Sango," she whispered harshly, her heart pounding. "I thought you were..." she broke off before saying any more, but something in her words, or actions, tipped the taijiya off, because she narrowed her eyes on her best friend.

"What are you doing, Kagome? Did you have another fight with Inuyasha?" she asked suspiciously.

Kagome slumped at that question, and more tears burst from her; unable to hold it all in anymore and dropping her bag, she flung herself at the stunned taijiya, and the whole sorry story came out.

~oOo~

Pissed beyond measure at their hanyou companion, and even more so at Kikyou once the story had been told, Sango hugged the anguished young woman to her and shook her head, trying to think of what to do to help her.

"Kagome, I can understand why you don't want to stay here, but to just leave, all alone and not even have a plan on where to go? I don't think that's wise," she said hesitantly.

Both women were startled at the little voice that spoke up then, not having realized that both Shippo and Kirara had woken during her tale. "She's not going to go alone!" Shippo growled out, glaring up at Kagome with his little fists clenched. "I won't let you, Kagome! I'll follow behind you if you try to leave me just because Inuyasha's a baka!"

Stunned at such a fierce declaration from her little companion, Kagome could only stare at him; suddenly so weary and worn out inside that she couldn't even think of denying him, she nodded slowly. "I won't leave you behind, Shippo, if you're sure you want to come with me," she said tiredly. Shaking her head at the little kitsune who hopped into her lap and hugged her immediately she'd said that, she looked up at Sango. "I'll get word to you once I've settled somewhere, but please... don't tell Inuyasha? I just... can't be his burden, you know? I want him to be free to choose what he wants to do with his life, not stuck taking care of me like I'm a newborn."

Reluctantly, Sango nodded as she watched Kagome set the kit down and continue to stuff her things into her bag. Brow furrowed, she said, "Kagome... you know, you might want to take some of those miko robes Kaede's given you." She held up her hand at Kagome's sour expression. "If you're going to be moving to another village, you'll need something to offer them for them to take you in, and as a traveling miko, you'll be welcome pretty much anywhere you choose to go. It would also give you protection from bandits – most won't bother a miko, as they're too afraid to offend the kami."

Not liking the idea, but knowing her friend was right, she agreed, even going so far as to change right then and there. Afraid that her time was running out, she finished stowing everything she owned in her bag, and grabbing her weapon, she swung it and her quiver over one shoulder, and her bag over the other, and stood, knowing she had to go now.

"Kagome... let Kirara take you to my old village. It'll give you a good headstart against Inuyasha, and he won't know which way you've gone if she flies you. Then you can travel in any direction from there, okay? Plus, you could take a day or so and just rest in the village – I think you need it," she finished earnestly, Kirara mewing encouragingly behind her.

The little priestess thought about it for a moment, and then nodded as Shippo added his agreement to that plan, and with a hug and honest thanks, they all stepped outside, where Kirara instantly shrugged into her true form in a burst of flame, then crouched slightly for her passengers to hop on. Giving Sango one last hug and thank you, Kagome mounted the firecat, and waiting for Shippo to also hug the slayer goodbye, she pulled the tiny kit to her as he curled up against her stomach, and Kirara took to the air, immediately heading for her old home.

Sango watched sadly as the trio disappeared into the distance, angry, sad, and fearful for her friends safety.

_Why did this have to happen? _

The suddenly lonely taijiya walked slowly back into the hut to wait for the rest of the group – and the hanyou she knew would soon be appearing, irate and raging that Kagome wasn't where he could find her.

_What a tangled mess..._

~oOo~

Inuyasha woke slowly, for a few moments not remembering the events of earlier in the night, and stretched. That's when he realized he was naked – and then he remembered what had happened earlier.

A huge grin hit his face, but then faded into confusion as he realized that Kagome wasn't in the cave any longer, and that her clothes were gone, as well. By the weakness of her scent, he was abruptly aware that she had been gone for some time, and worry and fear kicked in as he leaped to his feet and began to yank on his clothes.

_Keh! Why did she take off? What the hell was she thinking running off after dark like this? _He couldn't help but worry that she was gone – what did it mean? _Whatever she's thinkin', it's too bad – she's mine now, my wife, and I ain't lettin' her go!_

Dressed, he kicked sand over the remains of the fire, and taking one last desperate inhale of her scent, and the mixed scents of what they'd done earlier in the evening to calm himself down, he took off out of the cave like a bat out of hell, following her scent through the forest. He was quite upset to catch little hints of her blood, and he realized it was coming from small branches and bushes along the way, places where she'd gotten scratched as she'd blundered through the area.

It only took him moments to reach the stream she'd stopped at, but his gut tightened at the other scent he caught. _Kikyou... what the hell was she doin' here? _Fear crept up his spine as he pondered what his first crush could possibly have had to say to his new wife... and he didn't like the possibilities. Tracking Kagome's scent carefully, he followed it into the forest again, and realized in short order that it was heading back to the village, while Kikyou was still close by.

Putting on a burst of speed, he headed for the village. Kikyou could wait, as far as he was concerned – his priority was Kagome, and until he knew what was going on, and that she was safe, everything else was on the back burner, as he'd heard Kagome say before.

Sure enough, Kagome's scent went straight towards Kaede's hut, and in a flash, he was there and pushing the matting aside to fling himself into the small house...

Only to find Sango sitting there... and no one else.

"Oi, Sango, where's Kagome?" he asked, his eyes darting around and taking in the absence of any of his priestess' belongings. That little fact sent a sinking feeling through his gut.

"She's gone, Inuyasha."

_Gone?_

That couldn't possibly be what the taijiya had just said, especially in such a calm voice. He shook his head at her uncomprehendingly. "Keh?" he asked weakly.

"I said she's gone. Kagome has gone off on her own, and taken Shippo with her. She has no intentions of coming back," Sango reiterated, her voice beginning to crack.

Stunned, Inuyasha could do nothing but stare in horror at the taijiya. It felt like he was living in a nightmare... "B-but... _why_?" he asked, anguished.

Sango couldn't miss the hurt in his voice and suddenly wondered if perhaps Kagome hadn't mistaken some things – or if Kikyou hadn't deliberately misled her. One way to tell... "Why don't you ask Kikyou?" she said, eyeing him narrowly. "I'm sure she could tell you quite easily why Kagome's gone – if she bothers to tell you the _truth._"

Eyes flashing crimson for a moment, Inuyasha growled ferally, suddenly adamant about finding out what was going on. "You'd better tell me, Sango, don't play games with me. What the fuck is going on?"

With an upset frown, Sango caved and told Inuyasha everything Kagome had told her.

"... apparently, even after... sharing yourself with Kagome, Kikyou's name was the only thing on your mind, you baka. You have no idea how much that hurt Kagome, knowing that you were thinking of another woman while you were with her!"

Confused, Inuyasha scowled for a moment as he tried to remember... and then his last thoughts came to mind, and he lowered his head to his hands with a ragged sigh.

"It's not like that, Sango," he said after a moment. "I was thinking as I fell asleep that I needed to see Kikyou one last time – she deserved to be told what I'd decided face to face. That's all."

Flushing uncomfortably, Sango said, "Oh. Well... anyway, after you fell asleep, Kagome left the cave. She wanted to find somewhere to think, but when she got to that stream, Kikyou showed up... and, well... she told Kagome some things that just played to her insecurities. She basically told Kagome that subconsciously, you were only choosing to be with her because she was Kikyou's reincarnation, and because she herself was dead, and you could no longer have her. She told Kagome that you and she were soul mates..." she trailed off.

"I don't believe in soul mates," Inuyasha said immediately, and wide-eyed with confusion at such a statement, Sango stared at her hanyou friend.

"What do you mean?"

"Look," he said almost impatiently, casting her an irritated look, "saying that we're 'soul mates'," he parodied sarcastically, "is like saying that it doesn't matter whether it's Kikyou or Kagome, or even anyone else who's had that same soul. That's crap. I don't care about some generic soul that could be placed inside anyone – I care about _Kagome_. The person is completely separate from the soul – it's just a thing that gets passed around like a popular geisha. Kikyou isn't Kagome, and neither is anyone else who could possibly have had that soul. I mean, are you saying that you don't care who has Miroku's soul, that you'd care about them in the same way anyway?"

Stunned, suddenly knowing that Kagome had made a huge mistake, that they all had, in fact, for so long thinking Inuyasha saw Kagome only as a newer version of Kikyou, Sango shook her head. "I... I never thought of it like that," she whispered.

He snorted, angry, though not really at her. "I know – you guys always assumed I cared for Kagome because she had 'Kikyou's soul'. You all should have known better – hell, by your logic, her having Kikyou's soul would only have made me hate her, at least when I still thought Kikyou'd betrayed me. And it ain't even fair to call it Kikyou's soul anyway – who had it before Kikyou? Should we find out and call it _her_ soul? Give me more credit than that – I ain't that dumb!"

Suddenly feeling a _lot_ more respect for the hanyou, the rest of Sango's anger towards him drained away, and she shook her head. "Well, Kikyou managed to convince Kagome otherwise," she said after a moment, "and she was the one who put it into Kagome's head to leave and not return."

Almost snarling in rage at the idea of never seeing Kagome again, Inuyasha stood up as Sango stopped speaking and took off out the door without another word, and the taijiya, suddenly very tired, didn't even attempt to stop him or follow – she knew quite well where he was going, and didn't want to interfere.

_At least we can go to my old village tomorrow and catch Kagome before she disappears – she really needs to talk to Inuyasha. All this time, she was worrying for nothing, and Kikyou was lying through her clay teeth. Poor Kagome..._

She wouldn't want to be that fake doll when Inuyasha caught up with her.

~oOo~

Kikyou turned slowly to meet the raging aura of the hanyou as he landed behind her, flashes of the way he'd looked making love to Kagome passing across her mind and causing hurt and bitterness to surge within her. _That should have been me he was with..._

She didn't say anything, merely watched him, waiting for him to speak.

"I ain't even gonna ask why you did what you did – I ain't so stupid I can't figure it out on my own. I'm only here for one thing," he said dangerously, eyes narrow and crimson as he stared at her, "and that's to warn you – don't come anywhere near either Kagome or I again. I owe you nothing but vengeance against Naraku, and once that bastard's dead, the only tie between us is gone."

"Gone?" Kikyou laughed bitterly. "The ties that bind us will never be broken, Inuyasha – if it weren't for me, you wouldn't be so drawn to that girl. As long as she is around, the ties between us will _never_ be gone."

He snarled at her. "That's bullshit, Kikyou, and you know it. If that was the case, you wouldn't be so mad that I'm with her, because if you two were one and the same, it wouldn't matter which one I was with. You are not Kagome. You could never _be_ Kagome. There's only one of her, and she's mine. Leave, Kikyou," he said as he turned to head back to the village. "Find your peace – but it won't be at my expense – or at my side."

"How could you betray me this way, Inuyasha," she cried out, her shinidamachu circling her in agitated passes as she let her overwhelmed emotions out of the tight grasp she usually held them in. "We were supposed to be together!"

He swung back around with a growl and tore into her. "That was over fifty years ago," he yelled, "and you're _dead_! The living and the dead have no common ground, Kikyou, and you know it! And for all that you keep trying to convince me it's my fault you died, we both know it ain't!" He shook his head, suddenly sad as he looked at her standing there looking so tragic. "It's kinda telling that when I thought you'd betrayed me, I went after the jewel. But you... you went after _me. _You wanted me to suffer, and I just wanted to get away from the one I thought had stabbed me in the back. What does that really say about who's truly the dark, tainted being around here? Why should I give my life to someone who wants revenge for something I didn't even do – and she knows it? When did it become right to make the innocent pay for the crimes of the guilty?"

She stared at him, stunned to hear the way he was speaking – he usually wasn't so eloquent. He seemed to pick up on her astonishment.

It was his turn to laugh bitterly.

"Keh. The ignorant half-breed actually knows how to talk, and you can't believe it. I'm a tainted, stupid waste of flesh, so how the hell can I speak like this, ne? Funny thing about that,_ Kikyou_," he said sarcastically, "my mother was a hime of Setsuna – I might not normally use formal speech and big words, but I _do_ know how to speak this way. And much as you all might like to think I'm stupid, I'm not. If I was, I'd have died as soon as my mother did – since I had all these upright, innocent and _pure_ _ningens_ trying to kill me, not to mention all the youkai trying the same. Feh," he finished disgustedly, "you're just like everyone else, Kikyou. You saw what you expected to see. A disgusting, unholy, violent, deadly and stupid half-breed."

"Then why did I travel with you? Why did I spend time with you? If you really believe that now, why didn't you before?" she asked heatedly.

"Because I was a fool. I hadn't been around ningens in a hundred and thirty years or so – the closest I ever got was when they were trying to kill me. What did I know of how they act, of how they think when they weren't trying to kill me? You acted different, and that's all I knew. And I fell for that, without understanding anything further. Sure, you traveled with me. And yeah, you spent time with me. Funny thing, though... for all that, you _instantly_ believed that it was me that attacked you that day." He scowled at her, remembering the confusion and hurt of that long ago day. "Even as I fell into your spell, though, when you pinned me to the tree, _I_ was still trying to talk to you, to figure out what had happened. _You_ never did question any of it."

He was surprised at the guilty look that fluttered across the miko's face at that.

"I was wrong... back then. I know it. But what changed, Inuyasha?" she asked desperately, holding out a hand to him. "Why now do you forsake me? I thought... I thought you loved me," she finished, almost whispering.

It was silent in the clearing for a moment as Inuyasha stared at her, sadness taking him over at the look on her face. He didn't want to see her suffer... but the truth was the truth.

"I thought so, too. Back then. But I'd think it's fairly obvious that neither of us really knew what that meant." He shook his head, frustrated as he turned to stare out at the trees. "Love... isn't manipulative, Kikyou. And it isn't filled with mistrust. We loved the idea of not being lonely, not each other. Come on, Kikyou – we both know I'm not your type. I'm half-youkai, remember? You've been trained to destroy youkai. _Ningens _are your type, and I'm not one. That's why you wanted to change me – you wanted to change me _into_ your type. But then I wouldn't have been me – and our relationship wouldn't have been real."

Kikyou just stared at him, dark eyes wide and blank as she stood there, suddenly colder than she'd been since waking into her second life... or half-life. Because his words echoed truths she'd really known, deep down. And an even more telling truth... as soon as she'd realized that Inuyasha wasn't responsible for that betrayal back then, she'd known it wasn't fair to expect him to give up his life to go to hell with her...

She just hadn't wanted to go alone. The truth was, she was willing to _let him die_, just so she'd have company in hell.

How holy was that?

So much for purity.

"So... you're telling me that you didn't love me back then, because you didn't know what love was," she stated emptily, "but that you do know what love is now. You wish me to believe that you love Kagome?"

Suddenly fidgeting, Inuyasha blushed uncomfortably. It was a bit difficult to hear something like that said aloud, even if it was true. After all, he'd never even admitted that anywhere but in the sanctity of his own mind...

It felt wrong to be saying such a thing to someone else, though, when really, the first person to hear those words should be the person he felt them for. But...

Finally facing the waiting priestess, he nodded shortly. "Keh. Kagome's taught me what that word really means. Hell... she's taught me more in the year I've known her, than anyone else has _ever_ taught me. And with as many years as I've been around, that's sayin' a hell of a lot," he sighed. Meeting her eyes, he softened a little. "I don't hate you, Kikyou, though I'm furious with what you said to Kagome. I honestly wish you to find peace, in any way that you want to. But that peace is something you'll have to find on your own... I can't give it to you, and neither can anyone else."

Suddenly realizing just how truly alone she was as Inuyasha decried any hold she'd thought she had on him, Kikyou could do little more than nod at him, and turn to leave – all she had left in the world was her pride, after all, and she wouldn't let anyone see her heartbreak.

While she was aware that he was right, and it wasn't truly love between them, it was the only love she'd ever known in her short life, and it hurt to lose it. It hurt to be the one cast aside... the one that wasn't loved.

But she would leave with her dignity intact, if nothing else, and so, without anything else left to say, she walked coolly from the clearing, her only remaining companions her glowing shinidamachu.

Even they would one day abandon her, she knew; when she returned to hell, she would be completely alone.

Inuyasha watched her leave with pain and remorse – he felt badly about the past, and the hurts she'd suffered. But responsibility for all of that lay at Naraku's feet, and he wasn't willing to shoulder the blame for it any longer. It was time for this twisted triangle to end...

He wouldn't allow it to hurt Kagome any longer. No... she was his wife now, as far as he was concerned, and his duty was to her. He was very happy about that, too.

With one last glance at the fading glow of Kikyou's servants, he turned and headed back to the village, determined to get Sango to tell him where Kagome had headed...

It was time to bring her back... back where she belonged.

With him.

~oOo~

A/N: Welcome to my new Inu/Kags two shot. It's nothing deep and meaningful, just a short story I've had the plot to for over two years and never bothered typing until now. I was bored and wanted to do something Inuyasha-centric, so I decided to pull this one out of my file and type it up.

Amber


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Kagome stared out at the horizon as Kirara headed into it, her mind going in circles and her heart oddly numb. It was so hard to believe that she'd been so close to Inuyasha just a few hours earlier... and now was never going to see him again.

She knew he'd be furious when he realized she was gone, and would start the search for her immediately, still dark or not. For that reason, she decided that going to Sango's old village would not do. No... she would be better off going somewhere else, and starting out immediately instead of resting. Good thing she could mute her scent...

No, she couldn't hide it completely, but she could pull it in so close to herself that anyone searching for it would literally have to be almost on top of her position to find it.

With all that in mind, she rubbed Kirara's ear to get her attention. "Kirara... I don't think going to the village is such a good idea. Inuyasha will head this way really fast, I bet. I think we should go north, instead," she said. "And last anyone knew, Naraku was in the south, which means I'll be safer farther away from him."

Kirara roared at that, agreeing – the further away Kagome was from the spider hanyou, the better, so without further ado, she turned and headed north instead, on course towards the mountains.

At least Kagome wouldn't be completely alone, with Shippo for company. She couldn't help but worry, though...

The world was a dangerous place for such a pretty woman as Kagome, and there were a lot more bad things in it than just marauding youkai.

Marauding males, for one thing.

~oOo~

"Oi, Sango. I know Kirara took Kagome wherever it was she was going," Inuyasha said as soon as he stepped into the hut, waking her from her doze, "and I want to know where that is _now_. I'm gonna go get her back."

Blinking sleepily, Sango raised a tired hand and rubbed her eyes. "Oh... you're back, Inuyasha." At the hanyou's impatient sound, she sighed. "She took Kagome to my old village. She'll be okay there until we can get to her."

"Keh. I ain't waitin'. Miroku and Kaede ain't back from that birth and blessing yet?" he asked.

"Obviously not," Sango said, still sleepy.

"Whatever. I'm outta here. I'll be back when I have Kagome. Until then, enjoy the reprieve, 'cause as soon as I have her, we're hittin' the road again," he flung over his shoulder as he headed out of the hut, and Sango waved a tired hand at him in mild annoyance.

"Fine, Inuyasha. We'll see you sometime tomorrow, then."

The hanyou didn't reply, simply pushing into a dead run as soon as he cleared the matting, his mind completely on finding his missing wife... his little mate. _Keh. She won't ever pull this kinda crap on me again, that's certain, once I'm finished tellin' her where it's at. She's __mine__ to protect, and I won't put up with her disappearing and puttin' herself in danger._

Mind filled with such thoughts, the hanyou continued on into the night... heading for disappointment and panic, if he'd only known it.

There wouldn't be anyone waiting for him in that dead village...

It would be quite some time before he found his little runaway mate.

~oOo~

It was quite early, only about three hours after midnight when Kirara began to head down, finally landing near a well-traveled road towards a village in the foothills of the mountains she'd been heading into.

Kagome, waking from the doze she'd fallen into after her emotionally exhausting evening, sighed, wanting nothing more than to cry again – it was time to say goodbye to Kirara, their last link to their friends. _And Inuyasha..._ swallowing hard to stop the hurt from tightening her throat any further, Kagome lifted her kit into her arms as he patted Kirara once more, and smiled sadly at the firecat.

"Thank you, Kirara, for all your help," she said softly. "I'm going to miss you..." she stroked her behind her ear as the firecat purred, then nuzzled her. "But hopefully, we'll see you again soon. Take care of the others for me, ok?"

Kirara mewed, then watched sadly as Kagome turned with one last sorrowful smile and started up the road, determined to get as far as she could before Inuyasha could track her down. She watched until the two were out of sight around a bend in the road, then lifted off and headed back to her mistress, still worried for her two friends.

Just in case, she took careful note of where she'd dropped them off...

Tired, Kagome couldn't manage much more than a slow walk, but it was better than nothing. She planned to go on for an hour or two, and then leave the road and look for a likely camping place. In the meantime, her thoughts wandered chaotically and she heaved a frustrated sigh, forcing her mind to think of only one thing – what she was going to do now.

She needed a plan.

Looking down at the once again peacefully snoozing kit in her arms, she was pretty certain no village was going to be too happy with a miko hauling around a youkai, even if he was just a child. Passing through was one thing, but asking to live amongst them?

The only reason they'd been welcomed in Kaede's village was because of the extremely unusual circumstances surrounding them. She couldn't count on that same understanding anywhere else, and she wasn't about to leave her kit behind just so she could live in some strange village.

No... they would have to find a place out in the wilderness – perhaps within a few hours walk of a village, just for convenience' sake. There was a village up ahead somewhere, she could tell that much, from the smoky haze that was drifting above a certain area a bit higher up in the hills. But that was too close to where she'd been dropped off...

Perhaps she'd just bypass that village and go on towards the next one. She recognized this area – they'd been through here before, once, chasing a shard, and she remembered that there was another village after this one – a rather large one further up on the mountain, sitting right above the only pass over the mountains for miles.

She would head towards that village, then leave the road a few hours before reaching it and look up some of the caves in the area.

It shouldn't be too hard to find one that would provide adequate shelter since there were a lot of caves in this area of the mountains, and even one near a good source of water, which was a necessity. Shippo's nose was more than sensitive enough to find water, and from there, they'd assess the nearest caves available to find a good, easily defended one that would make an acceptable home – especially come winter.

Right now, being late spring, she had time to prepare for a harsh winter – hunting for furs and the like for warmth to add to her bedding, and smoke plenty of meat to store for the long winter months. Plus, if she was lucky, she would find some wild vegetables and fruits that could be dried for later use, as well.

One good thing about being a miko – she could ask for rice in return for any services she provided for the villages around these parts, and that would also give her some more food to fall back on in the lean winter months. And of course, she had her two little cookpots...

It wouldn't be easy, but they could do it.

Blinking tiredly, she stumbled to a halt finally, and looking off to the side of the road, decided that now was a good time to find a place to camp. She was just too exhausted to go on any further.

Finding a small clearing a ways back from the road, she set Shippo down with her weapons, and with the little kit watching blearily, she set out her sleeping bag, and then, setting her bow and quiver of arrows to hand, pulled her bag next to her bedding. After a moment of staring at it tiredly, she sighed and gathered Shippo to her, and then crawled into her bedding, asleep as soon as she'd sent her aura out in search of any malicious auras nearby, not finding any.

Kagome woke slowly later that morning, at first wondering where she was, until everything that had happened the night before came rushing back, and that leaden numbness that had filled her after she'd left Kaede's village took over again.

With a heavy sigh, she clambered out of her sleeping bag and stretched a bit, then shuffled behind some bushes for a little privacy.

When she stepped back into the tiny clearing they'd slept in, Shippo was awake and rolling up her sleeping bag so it could be restowed in her pack. Kagome dug deep and pulled out a half-hearted smile for the kit.

"Thanks, Shippo," she said slowly. Moving over to her bag, she dug around for a damp washcloth and wiped her hands, then dug out the travel rations she'd confiscated from Kaede's the night before and handed the kit some, along with one of the three bottles of water she had in her pack.

Shippo took the food and water gratefully, but looked up at her before taking even a bite. "So where are we going, Kagome?" he asked solemnly.

Taking a little food for herself, she mentally noted that they had enough travel rations to last several days, since it was just the two of them, then pulled herself back to answer the question at hand.

"Further up the mountain there's caves - we can find one and make it into our home. I'll need your help later, once we get there, to find a good water source... and then we'll find the best cave we can that's close to it," she replied.

Shippo nodded. "Oh. Yeah, that's a good idea," he said softly, suddenly aware of why she wouldn't be moving into any villages if his uncomfortable expression meant anything. "I... I'm sorry, Kagome. You could live in a village and be safe if I wasn't around, ne?"

A funny sound met the kits ears, and he looked up to find her staring at him with tears in her eyes. "No... I wouldn't be living in any villages, anyway, Shippo – I don't think I'd fit in too well, you know?" She shook her head after a moment, wiping the tears away. "Well, come on then, lets get a move on."

Nothing more was said after that, and the two packed everything up quickly, then moved out, feeling a bit better that at least they had a plan to work with.

It was definitely better than just stumbling around like a little lost kitten, after all. That kind of thing would get you killed very quickly in this day and age...

~oOo~

Inuyasha knew almost as soon as he stepped foot in Sango's village that no one was there, and he began to instantly panic. Thinking that perhaps they'd set down somewhere near, but not actually in the village, Inuyasha began searching for scents in ever increasing circles away from the desolate village.

After several hours and many miles, he was forced to give up – there was no sign that the three he was searching for had ever gotten anywhere near the area, and with fear in his heart, the hanyou headed back to Kaede's, hoping that Kirara had returned and could show him where she'd left Kagome and Shippo.

That hope was shattered when he arrived back in the village just before dawn; Kirara hadn't returned, and Sango was getting very worried. That worry exploded into fear when he informed her that there was no sign of Kirara or Kagome and Shippo anywhere within miles of her old village.

Miroku, who had finally returned to the hut not long after Inuyasha had left and been filled in on what was happening by a very upset Sango, tried to calm everyone.

"I am certain that Kagome merely changed her mind about where she wanted to go, and Kirara simply humored her, taking her to her new destination. We must have patience, that is all," he said calmly. "If Kirara still has not returned in a few hours, then we will begin searching."

"And where the fuck are we gonna start from, huh?" Inuyasha barked, angry, worried, and frustrated.

"Well... I believe that we can rule out one area based on circumstances," he responded thoughtfully. "The east. I do not believe that Kagome would have gone anywhere near Koga's realm with all that has happened."

Sango nodded. "Yeah, you're right. She wouldn't want to deal with all his 'my woman' claims and the like in her vulnerability."

Inuyasha, who'd growled long and deadly when that name was mentioned, slowly calmed as he realized they were right. _If that mangy ookami gets anywhere near her, I really __will__ kill him this time. She's mine, even if she doesn't realize it yet._

"Keh. That still leaves north, south, and west," he said, wrinkling his nose at the mention of his brother's lands.

"Not really," Sango said slowly as she thought about it. "I think we can rule out the west, too. I don't think she'd be going anywhere near Sesshoumaru's lands for several reasons."

"So that leaves north and south," Miroku said musingly, shaking his shakujo a bit and listening to the calming – for him – chiming of the rings on it. "What's south of here?"

"Feh," Inuyasha said disgustedly, "forests, forests, and more forests."

"And north?"

"Mountains, valleys, villages."

"Perhaps we should search to the south, then – at least for now. I don't think Kagome would be taking Shippo into any villages to live," Sango said. "Passing through is one thing, but living there is another."

"Fine. You guys should sleep until daylight. I'll wake you if Kirara comes, and if she doesn't, we'll leave after the sun's up," Inuyasha said gruffly, his thoughts completely on Kagome and her whereabouts. He paid no attention as the other two nodded and moved to their blankets to sleep, settling himself back against the wall with Tessaiga clutched to his chest to keep watch.

_Be okay, Kagome... until I can find you be safe!_

~oOo~

Frustrated, terrified out of his mind, Inuyasha pushed off from the ground and soared into the air, his eyes searching everywhere hoping to catch sight of Kirara. It had now been a week since she'd disappeared with Kagome and Shippo, and what was left of their group was falling apart rapidly.

He'd sat for several hours while the others slept that awful morning, waiting for Kirara to return 'til he just couldn't fight his growing fear anymore, and then he'd roused the others from their sleep and begun searching desperately for any sign of the firecat.

And still – there was nothing. They'd searched to the south first, but there'd been no sign of anything to do with Kirara or Kagome and Shippo, and with not even a stray scent of them in that direction, Inuyasha'd finally turned them all north and taken off, leaving the others in the dust as he'd headed off at breakneck speed.

_What the hell has happened? _he wondered for the millionth time, his thoughts frantic and chaotic. _Where are they?_

The mad whirl in his mind abruptly stopped as a certain scent came to his nose, then, and he dashed towards the source of the smell. _Kirara's blood! She was attacked, _he realized as he topped a small hill and noticed her laying off to the side of the road, curled up in a ball. She mewed wearily as she opened her eyes and caught sight of him.

Leaping to her side, he looked her over, pleased that she was going to be okay. She'd bested her opponents, though the fight had been vicious, and she had lost a good amount of blood from various wounds. They were mostly healed by now, save for one that was still pretty deep and would take another day or two to completely seal.

He picked her up carefully, cradling her in his arms as he turned and surveyed the area. _Dragons_. He growled. _Two of them. Cowards. _Fortunately for the firecat, they weren't a particularly large breed of dragon, and both were still juvenile. Still, she'd put up a hell of a fight, and Inuyasha wasn't really surprised she'd won. Kirara was a formidable opponent.

He decided to get her back to Sango and Miroku before he asked where she'd taken Kagome and Shippo, since she might not be inclined to tell him until Sango clued her in on what had happened. Settling her more firmly in his arms, he took off, careful not to jar the neko.

"Keh. I know you're gonna be okay, Kirara, but Sango's gonna have a fit when she sees you, ya know," he sighed, and Kirara mewed agreeingly.

It wasn't long before he came upon the monk and taijiya, and with plenty of worried fussing from Sango, Kirara was soon settled before a nice fire, a small plate of rare deer meat in front of her. The group was fairly quiet as they all ate, but once she was fed and comfortable, Sango took it upon herself to explain the true circumstances of what had happened with Kagome and Kikyou the other night, so that she wouldn't balk at showing them where she'd dropped their missing group members off at.

Once the story was told, the small neko looked over at the hanyou with an exasperated expression and mewed at him, her ears laying flat as she basically scolded him for the mess he'd made of things. Inuyasha blushed but nodded at her, accepting her scolding with unusually good grace.

"I know. I was stupid for not talking to her first. So... will you show us where you left them?" he asked, and Kirara mewed and nodded – though she let him know that it wouldn't be until morning at least. She'd not slept in almost a week save for periods of unconsciousness, after all, and with her injuries, her body was just too tired to stay awake any longer.

It would be slow going, of course, with her unable to fly or carry her companions, but they would get where they were going and begin to track down their missing friends, that she was determined on – after all, she loved Shippo and Kagome as much as the rest of them, and was quite glad they were going to get them back.

She'd really hated leaving them behind in the first place.

~oOo~

Kagome smothered a sigh as she looked over the meagre offerings in the village market. There wasn't much of any real value to her here, though she was in need of some more arrows.

She picked out enough to refill her quiver, and then took out her money purse, trading the appropriate amount of coin from her small supply, and then turned to head out of the market, ready to head home.

It had been two months since she'd left Inuyasha and the others, and things for her and Shippo were as good as they could be. They'd found a very good location for a winter home, a cave that held not only an excellent shape for keeping the heat from their fire in, but also one that would provide a natural draw to pull the smoke _out_ of the cave, while diffusing the smoke trail so as not to give their position away.

On top of that, it was very close to a small stream that would provide all the water they could need, and miracle of miracles, there was a small hot spring in the back of the chamber. That was a welcome bonus she'd not even thought to hope for, but she wasn't about to complain. It helped to keep the cave warm, and while it could get a little hot now, with summer well underway, it would be perfect come the cold, snowy winter months.

She'd already managed to stock up on a lot of rice and vegetables that she'd dried for storage, and even had a nice little stock of dried meat set aside for the lean months. The furs were a nice benefit, too – she'd found a tanner in the village that was willing to take a trade of furs for himself to tan hers for her. By the time winter came in, they'd have enough to make perfectly comfortable bedding.

They'd even gotten lucky and come upon a bear that had been injured and was dying, and taking pity on it, she'd sent an arrow to its heart and put it out of its misery. It had been gross, and not something she really wanted to repeat, skinning the carcass, but the fur had tanned beautifully, and would be a perfect blanket.

Things were looking good for them - though lonely. She could only be glad that Shippo was with her – if she'd been by herself, she'd have quickly gone mad – not to mention, half the things she'd accomplished she'd never have been able to do on her own. Shippo was highly knowledgeable on things needed to survive in this era, and she was thankful for it. She reached up and patted the kit riding on her shoulder, happy for his company.

Just as she reached the edge of the market, a commotion erupted off to the side, and she stopped, turning with curiosity to see soldiers pushing people aside for a mounted man to move through.

"Oh, look, Kagome!" Shippo pointed. "That guy must be the local Daimyo or something. Wonder what's going on?"

The man, young and rather attractive from what she could see, dressed quite richly and riding a very handsome horse, stopped and looked around the now silent marketplace, before his eyes came to rest on her. He held her gaze arrogantly for several seconds, and then leaned down to speak to one of his soldiers.

Her heart began to beat nervously as the soldier came towards her, and she tensed defensively. _Oh, I hope there's not going to be any trouble, _she thought, knowing there was nothing she could do to defend herself against a bunch of humans.

"You there, miko-sama," the soldier called out as he approached, bowing respectfully, and Kagome's heart rate eased a bit. Surely, they wouldn't be so polite to a woman they were about to harm, right?

"Yes? Can I help you?" she asked, bowing back, not wanting to give offense. She had to be very careful here.

"My Lord Takenawa wishes to confer with you about his Lady mother, who has fallen ill, and needs attending. Please, come this way," he responded, and though he was still polite, she knew it was not a request.

"Of course," she said, patting Shippo again as his little claws dug into her shoulder tensely. While the soldier had looked askance at the kitsune kit on her shoulder, he'd said nothing, and she only hoped the Lord didn't, either.

They arrived at the Lord's side, and Kagome bowed correctly, then straightened and waited for him to speak.

He looked her over for several seconds, saying nothing about Shippo, for which Kagome was grateful, and then he bowed his head to her. "Miko-sama. I am Takenawa Yuuto. My Lady Mother has fallen ill, and my palace healer believes that she has been cursed, because she responds to no normal treatments. I would have you aid her."

Kagome nodded, rather nervously hoping that this 'curse' was something she could take care of with her small amount of training from Kaede. "I will do what I can, Takenawa-sama."

He gave several orders, and within moments, she was mounted and the entire group was moving off, heading for the eastern edge of the village. Nothing more was said, and Kagome was lost in her own thoughts, not noticing the frequent admiring looks from the Lord.

Shippo noticed, though, and it raised his hackles. He scowled down at the ground... _That guy's staring at Kagome too much and I don't like it – he's up to something..._

The kit decided to keep his eyes open – he wouldn't allow anyone to hurt Kagome, and even though he was small, he'd find a way to protect her.

No matter what.

They didn't travel for long, maybe a half hour, before Kagome could see their destination; a beautiful shiro sitting atop a hill with a commanding view of most of the valley.

Once they were inside the compound, the Lord himself escorted her to his mother's rooms, and as soon as they came near the woman, Kagome could see that the healer was right – she'd been cursed. It was a similar curse to the one that Tsubaki had placed on her, without the added complication of jewel shards, and the dark miko in this case wasn't very powerful. She'd have no problem taking care of this, and couldn't but be thankful to kami that it was so.

"Your healer was right – a dark miko has placed a curse on her, but I can purify her of its effects. Still... as long as that miko is out there, she could simply re-curse her. You should try to find her. If you can find a monk, he should be able to track her for you," she said, moving confidently into the room to kneel beside the woman. "Shippo, I need you to get down and go sit against the wall there, ok? I'm going to have to purify her, and I don't want you to get hurt."

"Okay, Kagome," he agreed, scampering down from her arm and skipping over to the wall nearest her to watch what she was about to do. He noticed the Lord eyeing him, but didn't say anything, keeping quiet as he waited for Kagome to do what she needed to do.

She turned to look at the Lord of the castle. "If you could have her attendants come in – she may need to be held down. The curse will be reluctant to leave her."

He nodded and motioned to someone standing outside the fusuma, and within moments, three women came into the room, kneeling opposite her to gently take ahold of the older woman laid out on the futon, trembling and sweating as the curse tried to destroy her.

Closing her eyes, Kagome opened herself to her reiki just as Kaede had shown her, allowing her power to pool in her hands. As her hands began to glow brightly pink to the awe of all those in the room, the woman below her began to thrash, and she ordered the attendants to hold her still as she lowered her hands to her and placed them on her belly, forcing her power into the woman.

The darkness within her writhed, and the poor woman screamed as the curse tried to fight Kagome's reiki, but it was no match for the power she held, and within minutes, the evil power within her body was overtaken and swallowed by Kagome's light. The Lady slumped as the black taint dissipated, and with a final shudder, she sighed, her brow smoothing for the first time in days.

A sigh of relief was heard in the room as the woman's eyes fluttered open and she looked around her with a clear gaze once again.

Kagome smiled and sighed, calling her reiki back into herself as she nodded up at the Lord, who was now kneeling next to her. "She'll be fine now, Takenawa-sama. She should rest for today, and then tomorrow she may resume her normal activities."

He looked at her weighingly for several moments, and Kagome began to feel a bit uncomfortable, but then he smiled a bit, and bowed his head to her. "Thank you, miko-sama. May I know your name?"

She smiled back uncertainly. "Uhm, it's Kagome," she replied softly.

"Then, Kagome-sama, as thanks, would you stay so that we may prepare a feast in your honor?"

"Ah," she shook her head, still smiling, now uneasy, "I am afraid I cannot. I have a long day of travel ahead of me, and a time limit. It's going to take me quite some time to make it back to the village on foot, and my destination is some ways down the mountain from there," she replied. "And besides, no thanks is necessary – I was glad I could help."

Takenawa nodded as though he had expected her words. "Then I will have my soldiers escort you back to the village on horseback – it is the least I could do, since you were brought out of your way by this service to me. I hope to see you again, Kagome-sama, in less hurried circumstances."

Kagome stood and bowed once more, and with Shippo scurrying back up onto her shoulder, she followed one of the attendants out of the room. She was led back to the courtyard, where the Lord's instructions were given to one of the Captains, and within a short time, Kagome found herself mounted and headed back to the village with an escort of several soldiers.

Relieved to be back in proximity to other people and not understanding why the Daimyo, who had seemed all that was amiable, was making her so nervous, she quickly disappeared into the crowds once they arrived back at the village. She needed to get a move on – it wasn't safe to travel at night, and the trip back home was several hours from where they were. The detour had delayed her, and as it was, they were going to be cutting it very fine.

They hadn't been traveling along the road south out of the village for very long when Kagome began to feel uncomfortable, and it didn't take long for Shippo to speak up – he felt it, too.

"Hey, Kagome? Something's wrong," he said, looking back over his shoulder to the road behind him, which actually had several people back a ways behind them also heading south. "I feel like we're being watched..."

Kagome frowned. "Yeah, I feel it, too..." she trailed off for a moment, searching with her aura to see if she could feel anything threatening behind them. It only took a moment, and then she caught on to a vaguely familiar aura behind them... "It's one of those soldiers from Takenawa-sama's," she whispered, suddenly very nervous. "Why would he be following us? I don't understand."

Shaking his head, Shippo said, "I think that Daimyo liked you, Kagome. He smelled like Miroku always did when he'd get around pretty girls," he snorted.

Horrified, Kagome turned as red as a tomato. "What?" she choked out, now getting scared. If Shippo was right, this guy was turning out to be the Feudal equivalent of a stalker, and she really didn't need something like that. "What should we do, Shippo? I don't want him to find out where we live!"

"Let me think about it for a while, Kagome. We've got a ways before we'd have to leave the road, anyway. Maybe I can come up with an illusion to fool him," he said, patting her arm to comfort her. He could feel her shaking – she was really worried about this, and he hated that he couldn't do more to make her feel safe.

In that moment, he really missed Inuyasha. Because Kikyou aside, Shippo was absolutely positive that the hanyou would never let some guy frighten Kagome so badly – and he was just as certain that the stubborn baka would be jealous as hell – that Daimyo would be lucky to live through the hanyou's wrath if he tried anything with Kagome.

He patted her arm again when she nodded and sighed. "Okay. Let me know if you come up with something."

Silence fell between them as Kagome kept a close watch on the aura of the daimyo's man, and Shippo thought about options for trickery.

~oOo~

It was about a week later that something caught the little kit's attention, and worried, he decided to just ask the young miko about it.

"Kagome?"

"Hm?"

"Um... well, I kinda wanted to ask you about something. I've noticed a new scent coming from you lately... you're not getting sick, are you?" Shippo asked, watching the little miko as she worked with the bunches of herbs they'd spent the day gathering and drying.

Taken aback, Kagome tilted her head and stared at the kit in confusion. "Eh? What do you mean, there's a new scent coming from me?" she asked.

"Well... it kinda smells-" he hopped closer to her and sniffed, "-like a mix of you... and Inuyasha," he said, his nose wrinkling in concern.

_Like a mix of me... and Inuyasha? _Kagome thought blankly – but only for a moment, as the words he'd said, the memory of what she'd done with the love of her life shortly before leaving him, and the fact that her cycle had not visited her since hit her with a shock like a tsunami. She paled, and sat back on her heels, suddenly terrified out of her mind.

_Am... am I... pregnant? With Inuyasha's child? Oh... my god, what will I do if I am?_

"Kagome?" Shippo squeaked, suddenly afraid at the horrified look on her face. "Are you okay?"

"I... I'm not sure, Shippo," she whispered, tears flooding her eyes. _A baby... oh, Kami, a baby. _As the thought sank into her mind, her miko senses went looking, and she wasn't at that point surprised to find that she was, indeed, pregnant – she could just begin to feel the tiny youki aura of the child growing within her. _It's strong, just like its father, _the thought passed through her mind slowly as she used her senses to probe herself and the child. _Healthy..._

"It looks like I'm going to have a baby, Shippo," she finally said, raising numb eyes to stare at the startled kitsune.

"Wow," he said, wide-eyed, as he thought about that. "Inuyasha's gonna be a dad." He looked at her solemnly after a moment. "It's not a baby, though, That's what humans call them. It's gonna be an inu, like Inuyasha, and that means it's a pup."

"Pup, baby... oh, Shippo, what are we going to do? Once I start getting bigger, how am I gonna go into any villages without getting attacked?" she asked, clearly worried about the future and how they were going to survive.

Shippo's thoughts went back to his trick on the road – the one he'd used to sneak them away from that daimyo's soldier. He'd created illusions of himself and Kagome and then they'd slipped away from the road. The illusions had lasted for some time, and he'd been really proud of himself for that, but now something new would be needed – something that would require much greater strength and control.

He knew he could do it.

"I can cast an illusion on you, Kagome, so that no one will see your belly grow. You'll look the same, so it won't be a problem," he said earnestly, wanting to relieve some of the fear he could see in her.

A small smile softened her face at his honest desire to comfort her. "That will be a big help, but... there's other things we're going to have to figure out, too. Like... when it's time for me to have the baby. It's really dangerous to be out here alone at a time like that. And then once the baby is here – how can we go into a village with a hanyou baby and not get attacked?" She shrugged dejectedly, sadness settling onto her face. "We might have to go back to the others... to Kaede."

"Would that really be so bad, Kagome?" Shippo asked, big green eyes blinking up at her worriedly.

"Aa. How can I go back to Inuyasha, knowing that I'm... a replacement for the one he can't really have? And to go back with his child? It will make him even sadder to see what he can't have with the one he really wants," she choked out, a hand going to her belly without her even realizing it. "The very idea of going back hurts..."

Shippo didn't say anything, simply clambering into her lap and hugging her, but his little face had a determined expression on it. _I think she's wrong about Inuyasha's feelings... I know he cares about her as more than a friend. _

_A __lot__ more._

Later that evening, once an emotionally drained and physically exhausted miko fell asleep curled up in a ball in her bedding, a tiny kitsune sneaked out of their cave home, and transformed into a hawk. Flying would make the whole journey a lot quicker, and he didn't want to leave Kagome alone for any longer than he had to.

Once he reached the road, he made sure to spread his scent around in a small copse of trees just off to the side of it, and then began the journey back to the cave.

All he could do was hope that at some point in their search, Inuyasha and the others would head down that road.

He was absolutely certain that Inuyasha was, indeed, looking for Kagome – it wasn't even a question in his mind. The hanyou might get really stupid sometimes, especially when it came to that undead miko, but he _loved_ the little miko from the future – Shippo was sure of it.

And he'd be completely thrilled to find out he was gonna be a dad, too. The kitsune was determined to make sure he got the chance to actually _be_ one to his future pup.

_Come on, Inuyasha. You've got a lot just waiting to be found. A mate – and a pup. A future..._

_And a legacy._

_You've gotta find us – and I'll do my best to protect them for you until you do, I promise._

~oOo~

Inuyasha growled, frustration, exhaustion, and fear coalescing inside him as he stared out over the valley from his spot at the head of it.

It had been several months, now, since Kagome had vanished, and he never thought he'd be angry that she'd shown so much proficiency in disappearing. She was more than proving that she could hide with the best of them, and while that was a good thing in some cases, this time, it most certainly wasn't.

The morning after they'd found Kirara, his hopes had been high, knowing that the firecat could take them to where she'd left his little runaway wife, and he had been so certain that he'd be able to track her down in no time. It had been too many days, however, and their scents had dissipated, leaving nothing behind to work with.

The company of friends had taken council with each other at that point, and had decided to head towards the village that was ahead, hoping that the two had been seen there.

No such luck.

Frustrated, Inuyasha had been as close to blowing up as he'd ever been, but Miroku had managed to calm him down, pointing out that there was another village further up the mountain, and that it was very possible, even likely, that Kagome had headed there.

Miroku's suggestion had seemed to be borne out when they'd come across a small copse that held the scents he was looking so desperately for, proving that Kagome was, indeed, somewhere in the area.

They had continued on to the village, but once again, on arrival, no one in that village remembered seeing a young miko with a kitsune companion, and the trail had once again gone cold.

Backtracking to that place where faint scents of the two still lingered, Inuyasha had attempted to track them by smell again, but the scents of the two were only in that clearing – apparently, they'd spent a bit of time there, and that was why their scents still lingered.

Inuyasha was positive they were somewhere in these mountains, but that didn't say much – the ground to cover was huge, and they could be anywhere within the confines of the mountain range.

He could literally spend years looking, and still never find them.

That was not acceptable.

_Dammit, Kagome... why didn't you just ask instead of running away? _ he thought with anguish. _All this wasted time over a misunderstanding! And Kikyou's lies, _he thought darkly, then. _It's a good thing I haven't seen her since this happened – I don't think I could control my temper with her for all the pain she's caused._

His hands clenched with denied need – so often he felt the overwhelming urge to reach out and touch Kagome, hold her, and then the loss would kick in as her absence once more poked at that painful place inside him where she used to be. It hurt, so _damn_ much, and he didn't know how much longer he could keep going on – he felt crippled, hollow, as though he'd been gutted.

_Gods... Kagome, you have to come back to me. If you don't, Inuyasha will cease to exist, because without you, I can't be me anymore. There is no Inuyasha without Kagome._

With a sigh, he took one last look out over the valley towards the village at the other end of it, his eyes moving further towards the top of the mountain and the other village, as well, then turned back towards his friends, determined to continue the search.

He would never stop looking... not even in death, because if he didn't find her while still living, his soul would refuse to go to the other world and he would continue searching for her, forever if it took that long.

~oOo~

Furtively, Kenichi watched the miko as she moved through the small village market – as the summer wore to a close, there was less food being offered for sale as families kept more back to see themselves through the harsh winter months ahead.

He'd been tasked to find out where the miko lived, since his Lord's soldiers had failed every time to find her. Apparently, the woman could sense them somehow, and fooled them with illusions, disappearing before they could catch any idea of where she was going. The only clue they had was that she lived somewhere south of the village.

But he wasn't a soldier, he was a tracker, and it was unlikely she would know who he was, so he could follow her a great deal easier than those who were openly affiliated with his Lord.

He was determined not to fail – and not just because it wouldn't go over well for him if he did. But his Lord was becoming a bit angry – it was apparent that the miko was deliberately avoiding his men, and thereby him, and that didn't set well with him. He wanted her, and she should be honored that he did and welcoming his attentions, not hiding from him. That fact only served to make him want her more, and he was determined to have her.

Since his Lord wanted her so much, Kenichi was determined that he would gain his desire, and he would do everything he could to assist his Lord in pursuit of the woman.

He would find out where the woman was disappearing, no matter what it took.

Wrapping his fur cloak tighter around himself as a light, chill breeze kicked up, he continued to follow her unobtrusively.

~oOo~

Looking back over her shoulder, Kagome was pleased to see that she had beaten the others on the road around the bend by a goodly ways, and hurriedly exited the road, disappearing into the trees at the side of it and making haste to get out of the sight and hearing of any other travelers.

She had become quite paranoid, as had Shippo, and he clutched tightly to her shoulder as she moved into the forest, listening intently to make sure no one was coming after them. Too many times those soldiers of Lord Takenawa had attempted to follow them, and now they didn't trust anyone to see them leave the road for home.

The whole thing with this Daimyo would be bad enough on its own – but with her now carrying Inuyasha's pup, things could and would get a whole lot worse if that man caught on to the fact that she was pregnant. And once the child was born? It was no odds that, even with only a quarter youkai blood, the powerful daiyoukai blood he'd inherited from his father would tell in some way or another, and more than likely, she and her child would be put to death.

The thing was, she was already over three months along – and soon would be starting to show. Things would get only more dangerous as time went on.

"I think that maybe it's best if we stop going to that village," she said slowly as she hurried through the trees towards home, trusting Shippo to keep watch behind them. "Maybe we should just go to the other village down the mountain when we need to visit a village, and also, try to keep those times to a minimum, you know?"

"That's a good idea, Kagome," Shippo replied in a serious tone. _And even better if I can leave my scent somewhere further down the mountain so maybe Inuyasha can find it... "_The less times we go to those places, the less chance that Daimyo has to find us."

Eyes and ears peeled, Kagome and Shippo traveled as swiftly as possible back towards their home, unaware of just how close the threat actually was. It was a little too late to change their habits now – the Daimyo's man would soon be on their trail.

It wouldn't be too much longer...

~oOo~

Kagome sighed as she looked down at her now protruding belly. It wasn't much yet, but you could definitely tell she was pregnant. And the morning sickness sucked, to put it mildly. She found it difficult to function before noon any longer – she was violently ill every single damn morning without fail.

They were almost totally prepared for the coming winter, now, needing very little more to keep themselves through the harsh months – she was as stocked as she could get with everything she could need for her and Shippo, and thankfully, they wouldn't need to visit any villages through the winter months.

She sighed as she looked around outside the confines of their cave, the cool breezes of autumn lifting her locks and teasing her skin. Inhaling deeply, she smiled – the scents here were so beautiful, not like her own era at all.

A hand went to her belly as she felt the baby fluttering gently within her, and she smiled at the feel of it. She was just over four months along now, and things would only get more difficult from here.

But she couldn't help the swell of love that overtook her as the baby continued to move, its little aura nuzzling against her own. It knew its mother.

"Hey, Shippo," she said, smiling lightly, "you wanna feel the baby move?"

The kit, who'd been sitting and staring out over the small valley outside their cave, turned and looked at her, startled, but then hopped over to her, nodding excitedly. "You mean, you can feel that?" he chirped.

"Yup. It just started a day ago, and at first I wasn't sure what it was, but then I remembered that around this time is when the baby can first be felt. "Sides... I can feel his aura, too," she finished easily as the kit set his hand tentatively against her rounded abdomen.

His eyes widened in awe, and he jerked his hand back, startled at first. "Oh, wow!" He looked up at Kagome and then put his hand back, smiling widely. "So what'cha gonna name him?"

Eyes saddening at that, she sighed, and patted his hand that was still on her belly. "I... don't know, Shippo. We're going to have to go back, you know, to Kaede's for me to have the baby. It's too dangerous to do it alone. And Inuyasha has a right to name the baby, ne?"

"Yeah, that's true," he conceded, still rapt at feeling the baby fluttering around. "If it's a male pup, he names it, but if it's a female, then you can."

"It's a boy," Kagome said, no doubt in her voice.

"Cool!"

~oOo~

Growling under his breath, Kenichi stared at the trail he'd been following for an hour, disgusted. It simply vanished, leading to nothing, and he was pretty sure it was set by that damn kitsune kit to keep people off their trail.

_This is getting old... I've spent a damn month following false trails and leads. I'll bet they actually left the road somewhere close by – but on the other side. _

Standing, he glared at the false trail for a last moment, then turned and began his walk back to the road. A setback, but not a bad one. He was closing in.

Several hours later, his guess paid off, and he found another trail leading off the road into the dense forest and underbrush – one very easy to follow for a skilled tracker such as he.

_Perhaps I'll be lucky and can finally return home to my Lord and give him good news – I know he is ready to go at any time. His horse is kept ready with a contingent of his soldiers – he wants this woman badly. For Lady... or concubine? I guess I'll find out soon enough, _he ruminated, following the trail swiftly.

He finally met the treeline and kept back within it, not wanting to be spotted. Looking around, he found himself on the edge of a small valley, and noting movement, he crouched down, shielding himself in the underbrush, catching sight of a miko's scarlet hakama with a sense of triumph.

_Finally! After a damn month of looking! Now I can go home. _Turning carefully so as not to be spotted by any sharp-eyed kitsune, he hurried back towards the road, knowing he had hours before he'd be home. That meant the soonest his Lord could return for the miko would be tomorrow. Which meant that he'd actually get to sleep tonight. On a bed. Inside, where it was _warm_.

He sighed. _I'm getting too old for this, _he thought as he pushed his way back to the road. _Way too old._

~oOo~

Inuyasha stared off into the trees from his spot on a lower branch of one overlooking their small camp. Sango and Miroku were talking in lowered voices, but he ignored them, his mind on Kagome, and the lack of progress in finding her.

_Keh... when I finally do find her ass, I'm sticking to her so close she'll have to breathe with my lungs!_

He sighed morosely and let his head fall back onto the trunk of the tree with a thunk. These last months without Kagome had really shown him the differences she'd made in his life – and how stupid he'd almost been to throw it all away over guilt for Kikyou's sad fate.

But the truth was, she hadn't died at his hand. Sure, to feel badly for her was a normal thing... but to take the responsibility for her death? That was Naraku's fault... and he'd pay for it with his own blood and death, on that, Inuyasha wouldn't compromise, not even for Kagome. Not that she'd ever ask him to drop his vengeance against the dark hanyou, but the thought was there nevertheless.

Naraku _would_ pay.

That, however, was all he owed Kikyou, and he wasn't willing to give her anything more. He would always care about her, but he would never give Kagome up for her - or anyone else.

Now he just had to convince Kagome of that.

_If I can ever find her, _he thought sourly, staring up into the boughs of the tree.

His ruminations were interrupted by a certain scent and aura, and without even a by-your-leave to his friends, he launched himself from his tree and took off like a bat out of hell.

_Kikyou! I'll bet she can sense Kagome if she's anywhere near – Kagome could always feel her, so I know Kikyou can feel Kagome, too. Since she's the one that caused this, she'd better tell me so I can fix it!_

Skidding to a halt in a partial clearing, he watched as Kikyou turned to face him, her shinidamachu circling her almost lovingly. She was just as beautiful as she'd always been – and just as cold and sad.

It hurt to look at her, because now his feelings for her were so conflicted. Part of him was so _angry_ at her for the pain his life had been these last four months, but part of him still cared for her, too.

She didn't say anything, just watched him quietly, and finally, he got himself under control enough to talk.

"I know you can feel Kagome's presence, Kikyou, so tell me where she is," he demanded softly.

Kikyou blinked. After a moment, she said, "I realized yesterday that you had not yet found her. So I followed the link I have with her, knowing I'd run into you sooner or later." She turned and pointed in a northwesterly direction. "She is there – about half a day in that direction."

He stared at her for a moment, bemused, the past and the present coalescing in that instant, leaving him breathless – for just a second, and then it all went back to the way it was in the here and now, and he nodded at her, sadness in his heart for their lost future.

"Thanks. Kikyou..." he began, but she shook her head and held up a hand.

"Don't," she said finally. "What needed to be said between us was already said that night four months ago. Our paths are sundered, but please – do not rub it in. Just say nothing more, and go. I have done what I came to do, and now I will continue on in my quest for Naraku's death."

Guilt bloomed within him, and for a second, he almost reached out for her, just to comfort her. He felt as though he'd abandoned her – and it didn't set well with him... but he knew she was right. Their paths were sundered, and had been for fifty years - except when it came to killing Naraku.

Head down, he nodded, and turned away, headed back towards camp.

And then his heart lifted a little as he realized he would finally be reunited with Kagome sometime tomorrow.

_Your days of hiding from me are officially over, Kagome. Tomorrow, I'm slapping a leash on you!_

~oOo~

Yuuto Takenawa was most pleased with his scout's report; it had taken him some time, but he'd finally delivered, and with a genuine smile, he dismissed Kenichi with the command to be prepared to leave at daylight. The man bowed obeisance, then made his way to the kitchens to find something to eat.

It was nice to have something hot for a change.

The next morning dawned bright, cold, and clear, and Takenawa was dressed and ready to go, the horses breath steaming in the chilly air as the group gathered in the courtyard and mounted their horses. With Kenichi at his side to lead the way, the gates surrounding the shiro opened, and the contingent of mounted men rattled down the road, disappearing swiftly from the sight of those still within the compound.

One was his lady mother, who had desperately tried to talk her son out of his desires. The girl was a miko, not meant to be a wife or concubine. She was powerful, and that power wasn't given lightly.

She worried over the outcome of this day...

Her son, however, had no such concerns. He'd decided, and might made right. He was powerful, and could simply take her if he so desired, and there was nothing she could say about it. She would soon settle down into her role as Lady Wife, he was certain, once she'd adjusted to the situation.

It wasn't as if he were repulsive, he was young, handsome and wealthy, and could give her a life of leisure that she could only dream of as a wandering miko.

"Tell me, Kenichi, did you see a hut when you found them?"

The tracker looked startled but answered his Lord's query. "No, my Lord. But the area is full of caves – I think that she's living in one of them. I figured a hut would be beyond her ability to build, and a cave would be the best she could do."

Yes... he could certainly give her a better life than the kami had so far.

Riding, it took much less time than it did walking, but once they got to the place they needed to leave the road, things got a little sticky. The brush in the area was dense, and dragging the horses through that was not happening, so the patrol dismounted, and leaving two soldiers in charge of the horses, the group drew their swords and began slashing through the underbrush following Kenichi.

Takenawa felt his pulse speed up. It wouldn't be long, now, and he'd have what he desired – willing or no.

~oOo~

Inuyasha and the tachi were also up and gone at first light, the hanyou having told them what Kikyou had said the moment he'd stepped back into camp. It had rejuvenated them all, and with a spring in their steps that hadn't been there in four months, the group took off the instant there was light, heading in the direction Kikyou had indicated.

No words were spoken, Sango and Miroku quite well aware that their hanyou friend wouldn't listen to a word, anyway, or respond – he was too intent on his goal.

They both privately wondered, however, just how this reunion would go down... both beings involved were entirely too stubborn, so any kind of resolution could be quite long in coming.

_And it's almost winter... the snows will be deep this year, _Sango thought as she looked around at the terrain. _I wonder why Kagome chose to come this way, as opposed to any other direction?_

She watched from her seat on Kirara as Inuyasha raced through the tops of the trees, finding it easier going than on the ground with its dense underbrush. He was in too much of a hurry to tolerate anything that would slow them down.

And at the rate he was pushing them, they'd be arriving in her vicinity before much longer...

~oOo~

Shippo frowned as he looked around – he had a bad feeling for some reason. Something was coming...

"Kagome?"

He surprised a worried frown on her face, and asked, "You feel it, too, don't you? Something bad coming?"

She nodded absently, trying to figure out what it was. She couldn't find any youkai nearby so...

The two had been sitting outside enjoying the crisp air for a little while – once winter really hit, there wouldn't be much going outside except to gather needed water, and go to the bathroom. But as time had gone on, Kagome had begun to feel exposed – like she was being watched.

By someone with evil intentions.

She was just about to ask Shippo to cast his illusion over her, when a group of men broke the treeline about a hundred yards away from her and Shippo, and with a frightened squeak, she realized it was Takenawa's soldiers.

Terrified, all she could do was step back to the cave, stand in the doorway, and let Shippo stand before her with bristling tail and bared fangs. Snapping out of her fear at the feral sound, she turned and ran as best she could into the cave and grabbed her bow and quiver – they did have a good advantage with their cave. The mouth of it was deep, and narrow – meaning only one man at a time could enter, and she could easily shoot them.

Spinning around almost dizzily, she made her way back to the entrance to stand just behind Shippo and stare at the soldiers moving closer. She blanched when she realized that Takenawa was with them. He was eyeing her abdomen with unconcealed rage.

_Guess the cat's out of the bag now, _she thought.

"So... you are a whore passing yourself off as a miko, eh?" he rasped, and Kagome's aura flared angrily.

"I'm no whore, and I'm not passing myself off as a miko, I _do_ have spiritual powers! You were certainly glad enough of them when I healed your mother," she spat acerbically.

He regarded her with acid filled eyes. "You are probably the dark miko that cursed her to begin with. Otherwise I would not find your belly filled with some man's seed. So much for purity," he finished, his voice heavy with disgust.

"Oh yeah? Then why were you after me? You're just angry it wasn't you who 'defiled' me! As if I'd let a prejudiced jerk touch me willingly," she shouted, angered greatly at his words. He didn't know her at all, and because he didn't get what he wanted, he was going to judge her?

His brow lowered in angered affront, and with a curt gesture, ordered his men to take her. As soon as they moved towards the cave, however, she brought up her bow, and drew down on the first soldier, who froze. Shippo took on the other one, targeting him with his fox fire.

Voila, instant standoff.

Takenawa, enraged, glared at Kagome with now hate-filled eyes. "We'll see how long you can stand there, wench. You'll have to move sooner or later, and then I'll have you."

And that was no less than the truth. She couldn't argue the point... all she could do was chastise herself for putting herself and Shippo in this position. She should never have run from Inuyasha.

But it was too late now, and all she could do was make sure that at least Shippo didn't pay for her mistake. She knew he had a good chance of making it to the village on his own – he was extremely smart.

"Shippo," she said softly, not looking down, "I need you to run. Go find Inuyasha," knowing if she said that, he would go without arguing. And since the soldiers didn't have arrows, he'd escape easily.

Looking startled, Shippo glanced over his shoulder at her for a moment. "Kagome... if I go, the second soldier could get you!"

"You know I've practiced a lot, and I can get both of them as fast as I've gotten. But we need Inuyasha."

Worried, the kit stared up at her solemnly, then nodded, with one last look, he leapt out of the cave before the startled soldiers could do anything and turned into his pink ball form, floating out of reach very quickly.

"Goodbye, Shippo," Kagome whispered, her heart breaking for her baby, wishing she could send him away, too. But he was still reliant on her for life, and now his death would be bound with hers. Tears slipped down her cheeks, but she stood tall and refused to back down, glaring at the milling soldiers.

"So which one of you wants to die first?" she asked defiantly, letting her contemptuous eyes pierce Takenawa.

The Lord glared right back at her and ordered his men to swarm her.

She took down three, injuring them, before she was overwhelmed and dragged out to face the maliciously smiling Lord. Now battered and bruised, she still refused to give in, meeting his eyes with head held high.

"You have great pride, I'll give you that," he mused. "And spirit. Perhaps this isn't a total loss, after all. I could still take you as a concubine, and once the brat is born, have it killed. I won't support some useless waste of flesh."

"I'd rather you kill me," she snapped, the thought of watching her child be killed terrifying her. If he was to die, she would die with him.

"That can be arranged, wench," the Lord snapped back.

He stared down at her with hard eyes.

"Yes, that can be arranged quite easily if you push me any further."

~oOo~

Shippo, not as fooled as Kagome had thought he was, still knew that Inuyasha and the others were in the general region, and hoped to be able to find them soon, before something bad happened to Kagome.

He _didn't_ expect to run into them within minutes, heading full speed his way, but he'd never been happier to see red fire-rat flashing through the trees in his life.

"Inuyasha! Hurry! Kagome's gonna be killed if you don't!" he shouted, knowing they didn't have time to stop and chat.

Inuyasha, shocked to be accosted by the kitsune, was about to stop and question him, but when he heard what he was yelling, he poured on the speed, practically flying through the trees until he broke out of the forest into the little valley, soaring high above the people standing in it.

A feral snarl ripped from his throat as he saw his wife being held not very gently by two soldiers before what was obviously a Lord. His rage only grew exponentially as he landed behind the two holding Kagome and ripped them away from her to throw them at the Daimyo, and then grabbed her to push her behind him.

It didn't take him two seconds to scent that she was pregnant with his pup. And that only made him angrier at the danger she was in.

"Unless you all want to die, I suggest you leave - now," he ground out, popping his knuckles, almost hoping they refused to leave so he could kill them. "You put hands on my wife, and for that, I'd happily kill you, you bastard."

"Wife?" sneered Takenawa, coming out of his shock at the appearance of what was obviously a hanyou. "So you are not just a whore, but a _demon's_ whore. I should have suspected, what with your traveling companion."

"Like your words mean anything," Kagome snapped right back, so angry she didn't even notice what Inuyasha had just called her, "since you wanted me to be_ your _whore! As if! I'd rather Inuyasha than you any day!"

The man started to say something in return, but before he could, Inuyasha had his throat. "Be very careful here," he whispered, his tone deadly. "Say the wrong thing, and you're a dead man."

A new voice broke in then, as Kirara landed, Sango and Miroku scrambling off her back to flank Kagome.

"I would suggest you do as Inuyasha has said," Miroku said urbanely, eyeing the milling soldiers with their weapons pointed at the hanyou. "He is notoriously short-tempered with those that don't do as told. It isn't wise to rile him up."

Stunned, Takenawa stared at the newcomers as Inuyasha let go of his throat. _A houshi and a demon slayer traveling with a so-called miko and a hanyou? Have I not heard of such a group from somewhere?_

"You... you are supposed to be enemies of demons and hanyou, yet you defend him and his whore?"

Kirara snarled at him, as did Inuyasha, but it was Sango that spoke up. Hefting hiraikotsu, she said crisply, "Not that it's any of your business, but yes. And Kagome is not a whore – you will never find a miko more pure than she is. Now, you've been told to leave, so I suggest you do so before this ends in bloodshed – yours."

Angered, but unable to do anything about it with his small contingent of men against an obviously powerful hanyou, a taijiya, and a warrior monk, he curtly ordered them to stand down, and assist the three wounded. Then, with one final, fulminating glare, he spun on his heel and stormed off trailed by his men, all offended dignity.

No one was particularly impressed.

Silence fell for a moment as the friends all looked at each other, and then Kagome pulled away and walked to the entrance to her cave, wrinkling her nose at the blood smell from the three soldiers she'd wounded.

All eyes were on her – or rather, her rounded abdomen, with shock. All except Shippo, and Inuyasha, since he'd already scented his pup.

Kagome, turning and looking at her friends with a resigned expression, said, "You might as well all come in... I'm sure you have a lot of questions, ne?" beckoning them into the warm and welcoming cave.

With nary a sound, the three plus Kirara entered and looked around, rather impressed with what met their eyes, and definitely enjoying the warmth emanating from the cave.

"Why's it so warm in here?" Sango finally spoke up once everyone was seated and looking at each other.

"Oh," Kagome said blankly, not having expected that question, "there's a hot spring in the back of the cave."

"That makes sense, I guess," she said awkwardly, unable to keep her eyes from her friend's swollen belly.

"Uhm, Kagome," she started hesitantly, only to be cut off by an impatient hanyou.

"You guys do what you want – get reacquainted with the runt. Kagome and I have things to discuss," Inuyasha growled, grabbing her hand and pulling her up all bemused behind him into the other cave. He knew the bubbling of the hot spring would cover their discussion.

Choosing a spot close to the spring, he pointed sternly, and Kagome obeyed without a word, sinking to the ground to sit on the furs she had settled there for warmth when getting out of the water.

For several moments, he simply stared at her, his expression disbelieving – and hurt.

Finally, he spoke, and Kagome flinched at the accusation in his voice.

"You're carrying my pup – and weren't going to tell me? You were going to keep me from you and my pup? How could you do that to me, Kagome?"

She frowned. "Now wait just a minute," she flared up, getting upset again. "I had already planned to make my way back to Kaede's once the spring melt had come. Did you think I'm stupid enough to give birth out here? _Alone?_ I would have come sooner, but the first snow isn't far off, and it'd be a bad idea for me to be caught in the snows, don't you think?" she asked acerbically.

"Dammit, Kagome! Why did you run in the first place instead of just talking to me? You put us all through hell – for _nothing!_ For a stupid misunderstanding!" he gritted, pacing back and forth in front of her.

"Excuse me? It was fairly clear when the last thing you said before falling asleep was Kikyou's name. Was I supposed to _like_ being used as a substitute?" she snapped, suddenly even angrier.

He dropped to his knees in front of her at that; taking her upper arms in a rather tight grip, he glared at her. "Stupid! I wasn't using you for her! I was dozing off, and didn't even realize I said anything out loud. All _I_ was thinking at that point was that I had to let Kikyou know my decision – it was only right, wouldn't you agree?"

Taken aback, Kagome could only stare at him, uncertain of her own position now. _Had_ she overreacted? But...

Then there was her meeting with Kikyou...

"Yeah, well, maybe, but Kikyou sure had a lot to say to me," she finally retorted sullenly.

Inuyasha let go of her arms and sat back, watching her with irritation. _What a mess..._

"Oh, I know all about that, too. I took strips off her hide when I found out about it. She's well aware that I won't tolerate anymore interference from her again. I don't think she'd ever seen me that angry before," he said slowly. "I wanted to wring her neck – and that urge only got stronger the longer it took to find you, wench."

Eyes wide, Kagome could barely believe what she was hearing. Inuyasha... berating _Kikyou?_ Uh, uh... she just couldn't imagine it.

"Ummm..." she hesitated, not sure what to say.

"You belong to me, Kagome, and if you _ever_ try to run from me again, I'll chain you to me. Are we clear?" he said, his voice adamant hard and sharper than steel.

Still just too bewildered with what was going on, all Kagome could do was stare at him with confused eyes. The day had already been too long, and she was physically and emotionally drained.

She visibly wilted, and Inuyasha eyed her for a moment, then stood up, bringing her with him. "Keh. It's time to get you something to eat, and then you need to sleep. We leave in the morning for Kaede's. Anything else that needs to be discussed between us can be done then."

Kagome sighed, knowing there was no arguing with him on the subject, and truthfully, feeling too lethargic to bother.

_And after all that work Shippo and I put into making this cave home and stocking up on food..._

"I'm going to hate leaving all this food behind," she murmured sleepily as they reached the main cavern. "What a waste."

Miroku overheard her statement, and looking around thoughtfully at the well equipped cave, nodded. Shippo had told them about everything he and Kagome had done over the summer to prepare for the winter.

"I suggest we pack up what we can when we leave in the morning, and then Sango and I can return with Kirara and bring back more - as long as the weather holds, of course," he said, looking questioningly at Sango as he spoke.

She nodded, also impressed with what Shippo and Kagome had accomplished, and not really wanting to leave valuable food behind that could go to feeding them all and Kaede, as well. And the furs...

"That sounds good, Miroku," she agreed, smiling over at Kagome as Inuyasha laid her down on her bed of furs. "How are you feeling?" she asked rather awkwardly, then, as she gestured to the young woman's stomach.

Kagome blinked tiredly as Inuyasha covered her with her bear fur blanket. "Oh, I'm okay. I'm tired a lot, and I've got the morning sickness, though it's getting better. Mostly it's just adjusting, really. I like feeling the baby move, though," she admitted with a blush.

Miroku smirked lecherously over at Inuyasha. "Quite virile, eh, my friend? A babe, after only one try. Impressive!"

He shot a sharp look at the monk, and Sango reached over and clocked him, making Kagome giggle despite her embarrassment.

"Keh. Stupid pervert. Get your mind away from any hentai thoughts about _my wife_, got that?" He ignored Kagome's gasp at his words. "'Cause if you don't, it'll be _my_ fist hitting you – and I hit harder than Sango does."

"W-wife?" queried Kagome, eyes wide and shocked.

Inuyasha stared at her, just as shocked for a minute - and then he got _pissed_.

"What the fuck, wench? You think I'd just dishonor you like that by using you and leaving you to the scorn of everybody out there?" He jumped up and loomed over her, eyes slitted in temper. "Wife. Get used to it, woman. Ain't no way I'm letting you out of it, either. You're_ mine_, and that pup is _mine._ Got it?" he asked menacingly, and Kagome squeaked, nodding rapidly, eyes still wide.

"Good. Now, get some rest. I'll wake you when it's time to eat." He cast one last dark glare at her, and then sat down in the entrance to the cave, keeping watch with Tessaiga held against his chest.

Angry at her for the danger she'd put herself in, as well as his unborn pup – he was still hyperventilating inside about that one, a pup! – still, he was contented and happy again now that he had Kagome back where she belonged.

At his side.

The last four months had been a hell he never wanted to repeat...

Ever.

~oOo~

A/N: There will be a small epilogue coming sooner or later to finish this one off, so don't get all upset at how it 'ended'. It isn't – yet.

Amber


	3. Chapter 3

**Epilogue: Blessings**

~oOo~

Travel was quite awkward the next day as Inuyasha carried Kagome back to Kaede's – it was apparent that he was still very irked with her. Still, he was tender and careful with her, totally attentive to her needs and her morning sickness.

She could only be thankful for that, because even if he wanted to stop and rant at her, he wouldn't get anywhere – at least, not in the morning. If he did, he'd get nothing but the contents of her stomach for his efforts.

She was surprised at how many of the things she'd managed to collect over her and Shippo's time in the cave they were able to take on this trip – Inuyasha had shouldered her overstuffed bag, and Kirara had been able to take a bit more with her riders.

All in all – besides the bump in her belly, and the morning sickness – this could have been just another jaunt after Naraku with the group.

"Uhm, Inuyasha?" she asked meekly.

"What?"

"Well... I was just wondering, you know, what we're gonna do with Naraku now that, well..." she trailed off uncertainly.

"Keh! _Now_ you're worried about it?" he asked incredulously. "You should have thought of that before you ran off!"

Her lip wobbled and her eyes filled with tears – and she tiredly reflected that the emotional rollercoaster that was a pregnant woman's curse would end up sucking her dry.

"I didn't think you'd drop everything to come chasing me down. I mean, I knew you'd look, but, I always knew that Naraku and the shards came first... and Kikyou," she said lowly. "I figured you'd just have her look for shards with you."

Quietly fuming, the hanyou sent her a look that said quite clearly that they would be having a _long_ talk later. "Keh. I'm gonna be blunt here, Kagome, since you're missing the point. I wouldn't have touched you that night if I had any intentions of you being anything other than first priority in my life. You've always been that, you've just been too blind to see it. Now take a nap. We should reach Kaede's this afternoon, and I want you awake for our little discussion."

Wide-eyed and pink-cheeked, Kagome looked up at him from the safety of his arms, and then sighed, nodding. She was rather tired again...

As she drifted off to sleep, she couldn't help the thought that she finally felt safe and warm... for the first time since that awful night she'd left him.

_I don't ever want to do that again..._

~oOo~

By the time Kagome actually woke, they were on their final approach to the village, and within minutes, Inuyasha was shouldering aside the matting over Kaede's door after calling out to let her know they were back – and bearing the missing members of the group.

Kaede was, however, understandably taken aback when she caught sight of Kagome's obvious pregnancy. In all their discussions about circumstances, Inuyasha had never mentioned anything about what had actually occurred between he and Kagome, so the elderly miko's first question was, "Is the babe yours, Inuyasha?"

The hanyou snarled at her as Kagome burst into tears, thinking the older miko was calling her a whore. After yesterday's events with Takenawa, that thought was just too much.

"Of course it is, you old bat!" he yelled as he clutched her tighter to him protectively. "As if Kagome would just go off with some guy!"

"That is not what I meant, Inuyasha. But I did not know that this had taken place between ye, and was in fact inquiring if this was the result of... force by an assailant."

The hanyou growled deeply at that, but shook his head, somewhat mollified that she wasn't accusing Kagome of being of loose morality. "No. It's my pup. And Kagome's mine, too. Got any problem with that?" he asked, narrow-eyed as he continued to hold a now quiescent Kagome.

"Nay, Inuyasha, sheath thy claws. Kagome is an adult, and ye have always been her choice. Truthfully, I had expected something like this sooner-" she shot him a disapproving look, "- if ye hadn't been so busy chasing that shade of my sister."

Inuyasha flushed, but finally unbent enough to sit down as the others finally piled into the hut, and soon the babble of voices regaling Kaede with the tales of her and Shippo's adventure sent Kagome back to sleep.

The moment her eyes closed, Inuyasha was snapping out whispered orders for the others to keep it down so she could sleep.

Worried, the hanyou asked Kaede if her weariness wasn't a bad sign.

The elderly woman shook her head as she gazed thoughtfully at Kagome's peacefully sleeping face surrounded by crimson fire rat. "Nay, Inuyasha. Her skin tone is good, and her color is healthy. For every woman, childbearing is slightly different. Carrying a child is hard work and takes a great toll on a woman's body. She is just sleeping because she is giving most of her energy to the child, so that it will grow strong."

"Oh. Well, good, then," he said hesitantly, as though he didn't know whether to fully believe her or not.

Kaede merely shook her head, and with a sigh, beckoned him to follow her from the hut. He refused to leave Kagome behind, though, picking her up gently and joining the priestess outside. "Gonna throw us from the village now, eh?" he asked defensively.

One eye staring impatiently at him, Kaede sighed again, and shook her head. "Do not get belligerent, Inuyasha. I am merely taking you to a hut that was abandoned recently. It will be yours now, as ye have a wife and a babe on the way to care for." She watched interestedly as his ears lowered and he almost looked... diffident.

"You sure the other villagers won't mind?" he asked softly.

"Ye and the others have protected this village since Kagome's advent into all of our lives. The villagers know who is responsible for the safety they are enjoying in these dangerous times. Ye are more welcomed than ye know. Your family will not be derided here, Inuyasha," she said gently as she turned and began to lead the wide-eyed and surprised hanyou to his new home.

He strode along behind her, stunned, but undeniably happy. _A home... Ever since Kagome came into my life, I've gained things no other hanyou has had – a wife, a pup... and a home. Keh... my pup won't have to worry about being cast aside as a child like I was..._

_Because even if something happened to me n Kagome, I know Sango and Miroku – and Shippo, the runt, would take care of him or her._

His thoughts were cut short as they reached a hut near the eastern edge of the village, a few other huts clustered nearby, and Kaede pushed back the matting covering the doorway. Inuyasha followed her in, and Kagome woke just as they walked into their new home.

She blinked sleepily, and then looked around, confused. "Where are we?" she asked.

A soft look entered Inuyasha's eyes as he looked down at her. "Home," was all he said, and Kagome looked over at Kaede not understanding.

"This hut is yours and Inuyasha's now, Kagome. Ye are a married woman with a child on the way, and ye two need a place to call your own. What the previous owners left behind is yours, and what ye have gathered yourself while ye were gone will also be brought over." She smiled at the awed look on Kagome's face, then turned and exited the hut. "I suggest ye get a fire going, Inuyasha," she said over her shoulder. "I will have Houshi bring over some to get ye through this night."

Not knowing what to say, Inuyasha gently settled Kagome down on her feet and then began to inspect the hut to see if it needed any repairs before winter caught up with him. Slipping out the door, he hopped onto the roof as Kagome looked around the inside of the hut, which was larger than Kaede's, with two rooms, and was pleased – it was in good shape, the roof sound and intact. Heading back inside, he stopped as he watched his... his _wife_ get the fireplace ready for the promised wood and kindling.

"Do you think," she said hesitantly, looking up at him with a little blush, "you can gather enough wood tomorrow to get us through the winter? We didn't have a chance to lay in a supply over the summer like everyone else."

He smirked at her and held up his claws. "Keh. With these, I can chop enough tomorrow to keep us _and_ Kaede in wood for the winter."

She smiled a little, and looked down. "Oh. Okay. I guess I will do a little cleaning in here tomorrow while you work, then... it_ is_ a bit dusty." She looked around and sighed. "Home." The word felt good in her mouth – especially as it was a home that she would be sharing with the father of her child. Just then, the baby moved, and she beckoned Inuyasha over excitedly. He hadn't yet felt it move.

"Put your hand here," she murmured. "The baby's moving. Feel it?" she giggled. "It kinda tickles right now," she told an enchanted Inuyasha.

Eyes wide and somehow defenseless of a sudden, he stared in awe at where his hand was touching. "Kagome," he breathed in wonder, finally looking directly at her. And then he clutched her to him and kissed her, simply overwhelmed with the knowledge that was finally setting in – he had a wife, and a pup was coming, too.

He was no longer alone.

Kagome welcomed the tender contact, but it was not destined to continue, as a shout came at the door, and Miroku staggered in with an armload of wood. Settling it against one wall of the hut, the monk smiled gently at his two friends that were obviously in need of some privacy, and nodded. "We will bring over the rest of your things in a little while, Inuyasha... to give you two some time to hash things out."

Inuyasha pulled from his daze and nodded. "Send the runt over here when you want to get started to sit with Kagome, and I'll come help."

Miroku bowed slightly and left, and Inuyasha's attention returned to Kagome. He just stared at her for a minute, and then said, "That night..." he started slowly, "... I swore to protect you forever, Kagome. That's not a vow I take lightly, you _know_ that. I was promising myself to _you _forever." He looked a little uncomfortable then, and looked away, a slight blush on his cheeks. "When I went after Kikyou to tell her off about things... I told her that we had never really loved each other, because we didn't know what love was all about. Then... she asked me if... I loved you. I didn't want to answer her, because she shouldn't be the first to hear those words, you should be. So I just nodded." He looked back up at her then, meeting her stunned eyes with a desperate intensity. "So I'm gonna say it now like I should have that night. I love you, Kagome. I probably won't say it a lot, but... it'll always be here, in my heart."

There was a still silence for a single moment, and then with a choked sob, Kagome threw herself at a startled hanyou, crying, "I love you, too!" into his chest as she cried the last four months out of her system.

Wrapping his arms around her, Inuyasha just inhaled the scent of his wife, and his pup, and did something he'd never done before...

He prayed... thanking the kami for the singular blessing they'd given a broken hanyou.

Kagome.

Naraku was still out there, and he _would_ kill him – but not just for he, and Kikyou now. He would do it for Kagome...

And their child, too.

~oOo~

A/N: And there we have it – the end. A little longer than I planned, but oh well... I never did plan too well anyway.

Amber


End file.
